100 percent surety
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 27, 2024 -

IT is a magic trick with no takers.

Not because it's unimpressive, but the execution failed miserably.

Days after betting his life on the "100 percent" correctness of an intelligence input regarding infiltration of more than 900 armed Kuki-Chin militants "trained in jungle warfare and use of weaponised drones" into Manipur from neighbouring Myanmar with the intent of carrying out coordinated attacks on Meetei villages in the periphery possibly around September 28; the Union Home Ministry-appointed security advisor to Manipur Kuldiep Singh, who is also the chairman of the Unified Command, has categorically stated that the same intelligence input "could not be substantiated on the ground".

This time, Kuldiep Singh banded together with Director General of Police Rajiv Singh in circulating a joint statement late Wednesday night to go back on his earlier confirmation made publicly.

The joint statement stated, "In view of the recent reactions from different communities regarding input of infiltration of 900 trained Kuki militants from Myanmar to carry out attacks on Meeteis on September 28, it is clarified that the input was verified from different quarters, but it could not be substantiated on ground. There is no basis currently to believe in any such input. However, security forces deployed on the ground are placed on a high alert to protect lives and properties of citizens. All communities are assured of their safety. They are advised not to believe in any rumours or unverified information".

Consequently, the CMO has also backtracked on its earlier intelligence input and issued a statement, through its Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), clarifying, "Based on information gathered on movement of armed groups, the Chief Minister's office had shared intelligence inputs with State Police Department vide UO note bearing no. 1/25/2024-CM dated 16.09.2024 regarding entry of over 900 trained and armed militants to enable police to use its machinery and network to develop the said information so as to determine actionability. It is now ascertained that possibility of any misadventure by armed groups is remote. It is therefore to reassure that the public need not worry further in this regard".

The fact that all these clarifications or backtrackings have come after many Kuki-Chin groups called a total shutdown in Kuki-Chin dominated areas with the assertion that the claim made by security advisor Kuldiep Singh regarding the intelligence input was baseless and he should resign from his post for spreading false information has not been lost on anyone.

But more importantly, the report that the BJP-led government at the centre is upset with the Government of Manipur for issuing an intelligence alert "without verifying", and thus, creating an atmosphere of panic has capped it off.

It is becoming crystal clear that all these clarifications and backtrackings are no more about whether the intelligence report was "100 percent" or not, but the larger question on leaking such sensitive and confidential information despatched from the CMO to the DGP, security advisor, chief secretary arid home commissioner in the public domain.

This is the second time that confidential information despatched from the CMO got leaked and circulated on social media.

Prior to this, a similar confidential report on the movement of "about 200 Kuki-Zo militants from Churachandpur to areas bordering Jiribam" sent from the CMO to all officials concerned including the security advisor and the DGP became public in June last.

The only difference between the two incidents is that the second leak came to light after five months of its communication to the security advisor and the DGP for taking up necessary security measures to "prevent any untoward incident".

Unfortunately, by that time, Jiribam had already been engulfed in violence, becoming the new battleground of the now over 16-month long conflict between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities.

Thus, with the intelligence input from the CMO getting leaked well in advance this time, one could say with "100 percent" surety that the "possibility of any misadventure by armed groups is remote" now even though the security advisor and the DPG could not substantiate on ground the intelligence input they themselves claimed to have verified from different quarters.