By Sandeep Pandey
The violence which shows no sign of abating in the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur is a matter of concern. The alienation of the two communities and hatred generated for each other is unprecedented. The Meiteis cannot leave Manipur by road because the next district North on the way to Kohima in Nagaland is Kangpokpi, a Kuki dominated area where the young Kuki men and women are guarding the district borders and would not let any Meitei pass through the national highway. So, any Meitei who has to leave Manipur has to use the airway. Similarly, Meira Paibis, the Meitei mothers’ organization would not let any Kuki enter Imphal coming in the opposite direction. Any Kuki living in Churachandpur, 60 km South from Imphal can only leave Manipur by air via Aizawl in Mizoram, which is a good day’s drive on a difficult mountain road. Sometimes it may take up to 17-20 hours. Imagine a pregnant woman using this route. There is a weekly helicopter service between Churachandpur and Aizawl but that is not very regular. And how many common people can use these expensive means of travel? Clearly the fundamental right guaranteed to citizens under the Constitution, of being able to move about freely in the country, is being violated. The conflict has taken a heavy toll on the lives of common Meiteis and Kukis, many of whom languish in relief camps and face an uncertain future.
One single factor which stands out is the failure of the Manipur and Union governments to curb violence. Both Meiteis and Kukis say that had the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh wanted to control the violence he could have done so within the first two days of it starting on 3 May, 2023. A nagging question remains as to why the government was reluctant then or remains so even now? The CM has raised concerns about narco-terrorism and targeted poppy cultivation by Kukis. But what action has been taken by the Union Government to check drug trafficking across the international border with Myanmar or for that matter at Mundra port in Gujarat and Pathankot in Punjab. If the drug trafficking stops obviously poppy cultivation will stop. Many people, even among the establishment believe that Biren Singh would be replaced after the Lok Sabha elections. But that has not happened. Had it been an opposition party run state, by now President’s rule would have been imposed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited close to two dozen countries since the violence erupted on 3 May last year but hasn’t found time to visit Manipur. Except for mentioning it once, that too under persistent vociferous demand of the opposition, he hasn’t found it necessary to reveal his mind (Man ki Baat) on Manipur. We are told he is playing a role in bringing about peace between Russia and Ukraine and various world leaders are requesting him to take an initiative. He also probably has some advice to offer to Palestinian and Israeli leadership. But he has not demonstrated the same concern for Manipur, in spite of continuous voicing by the people of that state and this puts a big question mark on his intentions as well as the condescending attitude of ignoring the problem of Manipur. He or his party colleagues never cease to boast about how militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has been curbed since the dilution of Article 370 but don’t seem to care about militants, with ten times the number of arms compared to those present in J&K, roaming about freely openly displaying them in Manipur and endangering the lives of common people.
To make matters worse the security establishment is confounding the people. Meiteis have recently questioned the role of the Army in not being able to provide protection to citizens and have demanded their removal. First the Security Advisor to the Manipur Government claimed, based on inputs from the CM’s office, that 900 trained Kuki militants with sophisticated arms had entered India and then retracted it. Such statements from either the CM’s office or Security Advisor, especially as the CM has been consistently harping on the immigration from across the border changing the demographics of the state, will only serve to instill fear in the minds of people. This also puts the role of the security establishment under question. What was the need for the Security Advisor to rush and hold a press conference to share an unverified news only to withdraw it and tell the people ‘not to believe in any rumours and unverified news?’ Was the news of Kuki militants being proffered so that people don’t question the role of the army and accept its presence to save them from the cross border militants? The Government should be held accountable for being negligent in performing its basic duty of making the people feel secure thereby violating another fundamental right which is the Right to Life under the Constitution. The Government in Manipur seems to have abdicated its role of governance and has become a party to the conflict.
To resolve the conflict between the two communities a political process of dialogue will be necessary. Whether Meiteis will get a Scheduled Tribe status or Kukis will get a separate administration are questions which will have to be settled by the Union Government. For any dialogue to take place peace will have to be restored. Both sides will have to end violence.
The common people among Kukis and Meiteis have a right to live with peace, justice and dignity and their fundamental rights under the Constitution need to be protected.
(The writer is General Secretary, Socialist Party (India). E-mail: [email protected])