Manipur: Over 14000 Schoolchildren Displaced Due To Ethnic Violence, Says Education Ministry

The ethnic violence in Manipur has resulted in the displacement of over 14,000 schoolchildren, according to the Ministry of Education. Union Minister of State for Education, Annapurna Devi, stated that out of these displaced children, over 93% have been admitted to the nearest available school in a written reply to Rajya Sabha

The government has appointed nodal officers in each relief camp to facilitate the admission process for these students.

"A total of 14,763 school-going children have been displaced due to the current Manipur situation. A nodal officer has been appointed for each relief camp to facilitate the admission process of the displaced students," she said.

As many as "93.5 per cent of the displaced students have been admitted to the nearest feasible school, free of cost", the minister said, as per a report in The New Indian Express.

More than 160 people have been killed and hundreds injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Manipur Violence Situation

The Supreme Court expressed deep concern over a video that surfaced, showing two women being paraded naked in strife-torn Manipur. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, directed both the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate remedial, rehabilitative, and preventive measures in response to the video.

The court, also consisting of Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, considered the visuals shown in the media as evidence of gross constitutional violation and a breach of human rights. The Chief Justice emphasized that using women as instruments to perpetrate violence in a region facing communal strife is utterly unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. Expressing strong displeasure at the incident, the bench ordered the government to take prompt action to address the situation.

They requested affidavits from the Union Home Secretary and the Chief Secretary for the State of Manipur, outlining the steps taken to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

The court acknowledged that the video was from May 4, but highlighted that the timing does not diminish its significance. It urged the government to act swiftly and efficiently to ensure justice and prevent any repetition of such acts. The Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta were summoned to the court to explain what actions had been taken since May to address the issue and to prevent its recurrence.

Missing Girl Child

According to government data, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka are the top three states with the highest number of missing girls in the last five years. The Ministry of Women and Child Development data indicates that from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, a staggering 2,75,125 children went missing, out of which 2,12,825 were girls and 62,237 were boys.

Madhya Pradesh stands out as the state with the most missing girls and children overall, with 49,024 girls among the 61,102 missing children reported in the Lok Sabha. West Bengal follows with 49,129 missing children, including 41,808 girls. Karnataka reports 27,528 missing children, out of which 18,893 are girls. Gujarat, Delhi, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh also have significant numbers of missing girls.

Among the missing children, 240,502 were successfully found, but the numbers are still concerning. The data highlights that there is not enough emphasis on the protection of girls in the country, despite campaigns like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.' According to Prof Shanta Sinha, former head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, there needs to be continuous efforts in building knowledge, information, and awareness to strengthen the childcare protection system

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