By T S Haokip
“The recent attack on Assam Rifles is sure to be a game-changer; for the better or worse is where the true challenge lies.”
Churachandpur, a district inManipur became a central topic of discussion overnight on the 13th November, so much so it was trending on Twitter. The new-found fame however was not something the local people could rejoice for; the trend, unfortunately, relates to the highly condemnable killing of seven people- an Assam Rifles Commanding Officer (CO) along with his wife and son, in addition to 4 jawans. The attack which a valley-based proscribed outfit, the Revolutionary People’s Front/People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF) have jointly claimed responsibility for, has drawn flak from all quarters. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister has in no uncertain terms expressed his ‘condemnation’ of the incident and the Home Minister assured that the perpetrators will be brought to justice soon.
Many observed that the attack was meant to attract the attention of the Central Government; to proclaim, “we exist”. The attack appears to be carefully planned to make major headlines. Some may ask, “why would a Manipur-based militant outfit hitherto camped in Myanmar feel the need to announce their presence in India now?’ One among the many reasons could be to send a message before the upcoming Manipur state Assembly election in 2022, where each militant group would want to issue their diktat to political parties and voters. Reports doing the rounds suspect China’s involvement in the attack. It is no secret that China has close ties with a few militant groups of the North East and had in the past orchestrated various plans to unleash security instability in the North Eastern Region. Earlier, Indian Intelligence had revealed how there exists an unholy nexus between some militants from Manipur and the Tatmadaw, wherein the militants aided the Burmese military in controlling Burmese civilians desirous of leaving the trouble-torn country. The militants in return are believed to be accorded a base by the Military Junta in Myanmar. The recent attack on Assam Rifles appeared to be carried out by the very militants sheltered by the Tatmadaw. In carrying out a carefully planned attack, one of the worst against security forces in Manipur in recent times, PLA and its cohorts MNPL could be obliging parties that have sheltered them- tragically groups who find pleasure in India’s loss.
The selection of the site of the attack is another interesting fact that may escape the eyes of the masses and even seasoned observers. Manipur may be a small state situated in the corner of the country, but it has diverse cultures and ethnic composition. Churachandpur district is predominantly inhabited by the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes and the area has designated camps of Kuki-Zomi Militants who have Suspension of Operations (SoO)with the Government. The attackers, both non-SoO, infiltrating from across the border, after executing their plan could flee far and wide but the local tribal civilians are left with an execrable prospect of bearing the brunt of the repercussions. Fingers will also be pointed at the militants under SoO with the Government and it is here that the wisdom of the Government is required to understand that there are forces that want to disturb its initiatives of the peace process in the region.
Militants being killed by security forces or Security forces being killed by militants in Manipur, although rarer in recent times do not come as an absolute surprise to many, considering the engagement of security forces to curb militancy in the region for decades now. The recent attack on Assam Rifles by the militants of Manipur however sent shockwaves across the country;social media went wild, demanding the punishment of those involved in the attack. The uproar is understandable since it involved the death of a woman and child, which makes the militants no better if not worse than ‘the forces’ they have been accusing of terrorising innocent civilians. For the first time, militants belonging to North East have been referred to by the intellectuals, media personnel, and the Government as terrorists; only the militants are to be blamed for this new development. The press release by the People’s Liberation Army, stating that they were not aware of the presence of the CO’s family- a woman and a minor, finds few takers. Statements such as, ‘the Assam Rifle CO has violated protocols by taking his family along in a military operation,’ no matter how true it sounds cannot be a justification for the killing of innocent people.
The security forces will undoubtedly leave no stone unturned to award a befitting reply to the attackers. Here, it is important for the security forces to delicately handle the issue by having the ground knowledge of which group is for and against talks and peace processes initiated by the Government. Militancy issue in the state, post the signing of SoO and ceasefires by the Government with a few militant groups has considerably improved over the years. Uncalculated moves now can cast back Manipur to its darker days of militancy woes, reminiscent of the 1990s and early 2000s.
The fact that the majority of the militant organisations in the state are engaged in talks initiatives of the Government and considering that the recent attacks were carried out by those based in Myanmar, with the possible support of neighbouring countries, the attack on Assam Rifles Convoy cannot be a conclusion for the assumption of total security failure in the state. A relook of the operational tactics and threat assessment, keeping in mind the neighbouring countries’ interests to destabilise India, will however have to be effected by the security establishment to ensure that similar incidents are averted in future. As far as punishing the perpetrators is concerned, it is no secret as to where the security forces need to look; the challenge is that they will have to look beyond Churachandpur or for that matter India. The recent attack on Assam Rifles is sure to be a game-changer in terms of security engagement in the North-Eastern region.Apart from shouldering the need to award a befitting response to those in favour of violence over talks, the Government can, for the larger good, use this moment to onboard militant organisations to the talks table.