This has to be one of Manipur’s darkest times, one of those chilling moments of discovery Joseph Conrad had warned of in Heart of Darkness — if you look deep enough into your own soul, beneath the veneer of civilisation, there lies dark, menacing madness. ADVERTISEMENTThe tussle over the Meiteis’ inclusion in the ST list should have been fought in the court of law. They also fear that once recognised as STs, Meiteis would begin grabbing land in the hills, considered exclusive territory for tribals. A peculiarly skewed land revenue administration inherited from colonial times separates revenue flatlands from non-revenue hills in Manipur. It should also not be difficult to understand the Meiteis’ sense of injustice at the absence of a creamy layer clause in the existing ST reservation.

Source: The Telegraph May 23, 2023 06:17 UTC