By Prakash Singh & Jaideep Saikia
The sudden breakout of dreaded dengue in Manipur is distressing. The frontier state has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It is fervently hoped that the latest scourge will pass and peace and prosperity will return to the land of the dancing deer.
A few days ago, when news of 900 Kuki militants having infiltrated Manipur from neighbouring Myanmar came to “light”, all hell broke loose.
Cross-border belligerents had reportedly entered the state to perpetrate violence against the Meiteis. The “intelligence”, if proven to be true (as certain people characterised it as 100%) would usher in an altogether new form of warfare for Manipur and the Northeast.
Earlier, the reported drone and rocket (Pumpis) attacks had given a new dimension to the conflict in the region.
New Delhi has naturally got its experts into a huddle to cobble out a durable solution for the 16-month malaise. The authors of this article merely wish to make a few recommendations.
1. The ethnic divide has become very serious for the following reasons:
(a) the schism that had been tolerated well before 3 May 2023 was fanned by certain domestic political interests and allowed to grow. Steps must be taken to allow renewed intermixing of all the communities in Manipur, primarily the Meiteis and the Kukis.
(b) The buffer zones that were created to separate the Kukis and the Meiteis are artificial constructs. They should be gradually removed for free movement of the two communities. It is possible that there would be some domestic violence in the immediate aftermath of such a lifting of the buffer zones, but that risk will have to be taken for the eventual restoration of peace.
(c) An in-camera bringing together of both the Kuki and Meitei communities in a place like Delhi should be the Centre’s geo-spatial move. Chaperoned by the Intelligence Bureau, the two communities should thrash out their grievances far away from the battlefield. After some time, there should be convergences. Meanwhile, the communities should send out calibrated social media messages to their respective parishes.
(d) Central agencies should carefully monitor the results of the social media missives in Manipur. If found to be positive, there should be a concerted move to the next step where a joint delegation of Meiteis and Kukismay be airlifted to Imphal and Churachandpur for parleys with the respective overground groups there. A thaw may then take place.
2. The ingress of militants (Kukis or Valley Based Insurgents) into Manipur from Myanmar will have to be effectively stopped.
3. Union Home Minister’sdecision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border has to be lauded. The work must be completed in record time.
4. A red alert has reportedly been sounded over the “ingress” of the Kuki militants. The security forces have to leave no stone unturned to ferret out such elements.
5. The reported tussle over headship of the Unified Command has to end. The Union Home Minister should intervene and decide as to who should lead such a structure. It is recommended that he air-dashes to Imphal and chairs the next Unified Command meeting and closes the confusion that is raging in media about the Unified Command in Manipur.
6. It is learnt that the Assam Rifles has a new Director General. Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera has a proven track record all over the North East. He should be empowered to be able to play a more meaningful role.
7. Restoration of faith between the Manipur Police and the rest of the security apparatus, in case it has eroded, is a must. Statements by interested parties about Meitei Police and Kuki Police are only deepening the social schism and have to be stopped at all cost.
8. Signs of early return to normalcy must be immediately grasped and steps taken to appoint credible members of both communities in the Imphal administration and the Police. The effort should be to quickly intermix so that bonhomie grows over time in the higher echelons of power. This would gradually filter down.
ALSO READ: Manipur violence: Centre asks probe panel to submit inquiry report by November 20
9. Media restraint from both sides is imperative. The national media must take upon itself the responsibility of correct reporting and not be led by TRP ratings orone-upmanship. Manipur’s agony has to be viewed as the nation’s agony.
10. The Prime Minister must visit Manipur as soon as possible. It will demonstrate that New Delhi cares. His healing touch will go a long way in resolving the crisis.It will correct the trust deficit.
(Prakash Singh is a veteran Indian Police Service Officer having served as the Director General of Police, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. He was also Director General of the Border Security Force. He is a recipient of Padma Shri)
(Jaideep Saikia is a Conflict Theorist and Author)
