The conflicting political demands of Manipur’s three main ethnic groups— Meiteis, Kuki-Zo, and Nagas- have kept Manipur on edge for decades. The Nagas were the foremost to demand a separate state in the 1950s, followed by the Meiteis in the 1960s, and the Kuki-Zo formed a militant outfit only to defend themself from the Nagas in the 1990s. Over the years, the Kuki-Zo too placed their demand for autonomy and territorial concessions. Manipur became a full-fledged state in 1972, after being a union territory since the kingdom of Manipur, ruled by a Meitei king, was forced to relinquish the throne in 1949....