Killing many birds with one stone
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 07, 2024 -

THE manner in which the recent decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs for redeployment of two battalions of Assam Rifles from Manipur to Jammu & Kashmir has been opposed by Kuki-Chin community and the same twisted by some section of the mainstream media in their reporting by portraying it as a victory of the Meeteis/Meiteis, who have been demanding withdrawal of the central paramilitary force for its alleged partisanship in dealing with the over 15 months long ethnic conflict, is simply baffling.

Soon after the Ministry announced its decision, leaders of the Kuki-Chin community including the 10 estranged elected legislators as well as leaders of civil society organisations like Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF)and Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other authorities concerned urging to reconsider the decision and protest rallies had been taken in Kuki-Chin dominated hill areas to exert pressure on the ministry for reversing its decision.

Apart from asserting that the presence of Assam Rifles is indispensable for their protection as well as maintenance of the current status-quo in 'buffer-zones', the main reason cited against the move to replace Assam Rifles by Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) is that the decision of the ministry has been taken "following pressure from the communally biased elements in the state government" and it is "nothing but a sinister design to expedite the Meitei majoritarian ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kuki-Zo community".

While it is fanciful enough to even think that the Government of Manipur could influence the Ministry of Home Affairs to take such important decision, one can't help but conclude that it is such bombastic statements made by leaders of Kuki-Chin community that gave fodder to some section of mainstream media to twist the fact in their reporting by portraying the decision taken by the ministry for redeployment of two battalions of Assam Rifles from Manipur to Jammu & Kashmir as a victory for the Meeteis/Meiteis, which could be nothing farther from the truth.

Just as retired Lieutenant General L Nishikanta Singh had pointed out, everyone needs to understand that the decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs for redeployment of two battalions of Assam Rifles from Manipur to Jammu & Kashmir is not a new policy nor it is unrelated to the demand of the Meeteis/Meiteis for removal of Assam Rifles from Manipur.

In fact, we dare to say that the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Chin and Meeteis/ Meiteis communities in Manipur, which has been going on since May 3 last year, is nowhere in the picture when the 'Ministry of Home Affairs took the decision to redeploy two battalions of Assam Rifles from Manipur to Jammu & Kashmir, where terrorist activities have surged of late, much to the embarrassment of the Government of India which has been claiming of restoring peace and stability after the abrogation of Article 370.

Since January 1, 2014, as many as 14 terror attacks have taken place across six districts of Jammu region, which have resulted in the deaths of 27 people including 11 security personnel, a village defence guard and five terrorists.

There are already three thousand additional army troops and 2000 BSF men deployed across the region. But a recent assessment of the different intelligence agencies had indicated that more than 50 highly trained Pakistani terrorists are still hiding in the upper reaches of Doha, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Kathua and Reasi districts.

So, to plug the security gap and step-up anti-terrorist operations, deployment of more armed forces trained in counter-insurgency is required, and that led to the decision of deploying troops of Assam in Jammu region by removing two battalions from Manipur.

This decision has been taken purely to strength the multi-layered security grid so as to contain terrorist activities before holding the much-awaited assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir as per directions of Supreme Court of India.

So, there is nothing to be sad about by the Kuki-Chins or be happy by the Meeteis/Meiteis.

Nonetheless, we all can surly vouch for the ingenuity of Ministry of Home Affairs in perfecting the art of killing not just two but as many birds as it like with just one stone this time.