Manipur has seen near anarchy in the last six weeks, and the situation is still grim and foreboding. The state is convulsed by violence between communities and groups and the law and order machinery has broken down. The government and the political leadership have lost not only control but also credibility. The trouble that started in the first week of May seemed to have waned after a few days but actually escalated later.
Last week, the house of Union Minister of State for External Affairs R K Ranjan Singh in Imphal was vandalised and set on fire. The previous day, nine persons were killed in a gun battle, and the total death toll is over 100.
There is large scale looting of arms from government armouries and police stations and armed gangs roam freely in the towns and villages. Thousands of people have run away and many more are trapped in fear and insecurity. The divisions and distrust between the tribal and largely Christian Kukis and the largely HIndu Meitei community living in the plains has exploded to create the present situation.
It was expected that the infusion of large numbers of security personnel, including the military, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other paramilitary forces would help bring the situation under control. It did not happen and the lesson is that the forces can’t help if political and administrative policies and actions are not conducive to peace. Manipur’s BJP government does not enjoy the trust and confidence of large numbers of people, especially those from the Kuki community.
Chief Minister Biren Singh is widely seen to have taken partisan positions in favour of the Meitei community to which he belongs. He has also made provocative statements, insinuating that the Kukis are militants. The state government had withdrawn from some agreements made with militant groups and taken actions that alienated the Kuki community. The controversy over the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status was only the immediate trigger for the trouble.
A peace committee formed by the Union Home Ministry with the governor of Manipur as its head has not worked at all. Many proposed members have refused to join the panel and the Kukis have objected to the inclusion of the chief minister in it.
Home Minister Amit Shah had visited the state a full three weeks after the violence began.
The resumption and continuation of violence shows that he was unable to give any guidance on how to deal with the situation. Manipur is a sensitive border state with a history of militancy and unrest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence when the state is burning has notgone unnoticed.