The art of creating confusion : Undeclared state of conflict
- Sangai Express Editorial :: July 05 , 2013 -

Delhi is confused. Correction, Delhi is refusing to see and acknowledge the truth and call a spade a spade.

Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than the official statement issued a few days back that the Centre is continuously assisting the North Eastern States by deploying Central Armed Police forces to assist the State police in their counter-insurgency operations against militant outfits and augmenting and upgrading the State Police force by way of sanctioning Indian Reserved Battalion.

At a rough estimate, the strength of Central security forces, including the Army, the Assam Rifles, CRPF and BSF deployed in Manipur must be around 50,000.

An appreciable strength in a State with a population of around 27 lakhs and a geographical size of 22,327 square kilometres.

Add the extraordinary power conferred on the security personnel under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Delhi seems intent on neutralising the forces which have taken up the guns against the Union of India.

Collateral damages, is the term that is used to justify any excesses in the process. This seems simple and easy enough to understand.

The confusion however arises when the measures taken up by Delhi and Imphal is pitted against the stoic refusal of the Government to acknowledge or admit that indeed Manipur qualifies as a conflict zone.

Hard politics at play here. Bombarding the place with thousands of troops and armed not only with the latest and sophisticated weapons, but also with an Act under which anyone can be a suspect and be killed but without declaring that a war like situation is in place.

In other words, war in a state of undeclared war.

This is not to say that Manipur has become an Afghanistan or some of the tribal belts in Pakistan but the undercurrent of the conflict situation cannot be missed to any observer.

Political compulsion camouflaging the real truth from the eyes of the international community. Nothing else can explain this.

Given the situation, Delhi may just be given the long rope for deploying such a huge number of troops in Manipur, but doing this without acknowledging that there is a state of conflict here is nothing but political manipulation.

Peace. Improved situation. Peace talks. Militants coming to the ‘mainstream’.

These are all terms bandied about by the mandarins at Delhi and Imphal as well as by the bureaucrats who have been given the charge of the North East.

But the fact is, beneath the much tom tommed peace talks, behind each surrender ceremony, there are different versions, with charges and counter charges flying thick and fast.

\ This should tell a story of its own, a fascinating tale which would appear to be a wonderful yarn scripted by some fertile mind to those who are not well acquainted with the reality that is the North East and Manipur in particular.

This is one reason why Delhi would not be able to answer a question as simple as, ‘If there is no conflict situation in Manipur, why is there the need to deploy more than 50,000 troops in Manipur and continue with the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which has been in force here for more than three decades ?’

The lies lay in the very statement that Delhi is assisting the North East States, including Manipur by deploying Central troops and augmenting the State police, without actually admitting that there is a conflict situation here.

This is where the assertion that either Delhi is not confused but stoically refusing to acknowledge the reality gains credence.

Has the Centre really tried to understand and study why, despite the deployment of large number of troops, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of armed groups down the years ?

Confusing and it may not be altogether wrong in assuming that there may be a carefully worked out plot to create this confusion. Perfecting the art of creating confusion.