India is no stranger to periodic outbursts of violence.
But the slow-burning horror in its northeastern state of Manipur has shaken the country and paralyzed its Parliament. And there is no resolution in sight.
A small state bordering Myanmar, Manipur has been rocked since early May by a fierce conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities over land, tribal status, the drug trade and migration. The fighting has left a trail of humiliation, injury and death. Women have been publicly stripped, their dignity robbed by rival factions; in some particularly horrific cases, they have been raped and murdered. Countless lives have been uprooted, with the ruins of people’s property serving as grim reminders of the insecurity they face. And, so far, the central government and opposition parties have made negligible progress in ending the horror and restoring peace.