The Ministry of Education informed the Lok Sabha today, Monday, August 5, that five students had dropped out of school and no teacher had resigned as a result of violence in Manipur over the last year.

Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary gave the facts in answer to Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Abhishek Banerjee's written question in the Lower House.

"As reported by the state government of Manipur, five students have dropped out of schools and no teacher has resigned from their jobs due to violence in Manipur since 2023 in the state," the MoS said.

A year of violence in Manipur 

Since May last year, ethnic conflict between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and surrounding hills-based Kuki-Zo communities has killed over 200 people and displaced hundreds more.

The conflict started when the All Tribal Student Union Manipur organised a Tribal Solidarity March on March 3, opposing the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. This march was met with a “counter-response” from Meiti groups, leading to more retaliatory violence from both sides. 

According to government statistics, as of May 3, 2024, 221 people had been murdered in the unrest, and 60,000 had been displaced. Unofficial figures reveal higher numbers. Over 14,000 children have been displaced due to the violence, some of whom were welcomed by states like Kerala, Delhi, and Karnataka to finish their education.