Debate over Unified Command
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 14, 2024 -

WHO is in-charge of the Unified Command in Manipur at present?

Or, who should actually be in-charge of the Unified Command?

These two variant questions seem to be gaining traction and dominating the entire public discourse in the strife-torn northeastern Indian state of Manipur at the moment.

Of course, these two questions have been having their sway on the minds of the people since May 31 last year when the Government of Manipur issued an order appointing Kuldiep Singh as the chairman of the Unified Command.

The fact that an illustrious Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1986 who retired from active service as DG of CRPF in September, 2021 and said to be someone very close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah was brought back from retirement by the Union Home Ministry to him make the security advisor to the chief minister of Manipur just a day after the Kuki-Chin and Meetei conflict broke out on May 3 and spiralled out of control and subsequently given the charge of Unified Command as well was thought to be a right move.

At that time, it was assumed that Kuldiep was chosen for the post in due consideration of his vast experiences in working in conflict zones and people had high hope.

However, despite his presence in Manipur for more than 16 months, there has been no abatement in the violence.

Of course, the nature of conflict in Manipur may be quite different from any of the difficult assignments he had handled successfully during his active service period, but after remaining in the state since a day after the outbreak of violence, he is expected to have been well-versed by now about the trajectory of the conflict and the tactics employed by elements inimical to the idea of Manipur as a geo-political entity for perpetuating the fire of communal hatred among people of different communities in this multi-ethnic society.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

This has led to a situation today where people including school and college going students are coming on the streets demanding resignation of Kuldiep Singh from the post of security advisor and handing over the charge of Unified Command to the chief minister.

The current debate over who is in-charge of the Unified Command in Manipur at the moment Or, who should actually be in-charge of the Unified Command in Manipur has generated after chief minister N Biren Singh went to the Raj Bhavan along with as many as 28 ruling MLAs on September 28 and submitted a memorandum to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya for forwarding to the central government.

Among other points mentioned in the memorandum, the demand for reinstatement of the chief minister as the chairman of Unified Command has caught the attention of everyone for some obvious reasons.

After remaining ambivalent on his position for a long time, it is for the first time that the chief minister has made it officially clear in no uncertain terms over who is actually in-charge of the Unified Command in Manipur today.

Even if the footnote in the order issued by the Government of Manipur for appointment of Kuldiep Singh as the chairman of Unified Command may have mentioned as an afterthought that the chief minister could still convene the meeting of Unified Command as and when required, and most importantly if he wants to; the demand raised for reinstatement of the chairmanship of Unified Command could very well be considered without any question as an official acknowledgement of the chief minister of Manipur that he is now nothing more than a rubber stamp of the Union Home Ministry when it comes to exercising his power as the executive head of a democratically elected government, howsoever popular or unpopular it may be at the moment.

With this, the debate over who is in-charge or who should be in-charge of the Unified Command should be conclusive.