'Classic Case Of Hinduphobia': Indian-American Scholar Slams Manipur Crisis Portrayal As Religious Conflict
T he ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023 has raised questions over the handling of the conflict by both the Central and the State governments. An Indian-American scholar told a US Congressional hearing on Thursday that the Manipur crisis is a complex web of internecine conflict marked by violence, mistrust, socio-political tensions and a deadly trifecta of insurgency, narcotics and illegal infiltration, which pose significant threats to India's national security, but is not a religious conflict between two communities. Rajshree Keisham, an Indian-American scholar said the projection of the Meitei-Kuki ethnic clash as a religious conflict by some sections 'not only ignores the complex social fabric of Manipur, but also heightens tensions'. "... Efforts have been made to portray this communal conflict in reductionist terms, projected to the world as the Hindu majority prosecuting the Christian minorities. This oversimplification not only ignores the complex social...