Tiger in the valley, lamb in the hills
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 13, 2024 -

WHAT led to the latest wave of protests by students in different parts of strife-torn Manipur?

Were the student protestors actually instigated by some people who are waiting for such opportunities to unleash violence and create further unrest in the Manipuri society, which is trying to recover or at least come to terms with the debilitating impact of the unprecedented ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities that has been going on for more than 16 months now?

We feel that it is important to have a dispassionate look at these questions so as to find their answers, especially in the light of clarification given from the side of Manipur Police regarding its crackdown on student protestors that had led to Causing injuries to many students in firing of tear gas shells and stun grenades.

Addressing a press conference at Manipur Police headquarters in Imphal on Wednesday, Inspector General of Police (JGP) in-charge of intelligence K Kabib and IGP in-charge of administration K jayanta contended that among the student protestors who were taking out peaceful democratic rallies, there were many people masquerading as students and deliberately using slingshots and pelting stones at the security forces, thus, leaving at least 10 security personnel including a VDF member wounded.

The two police officers also said that they never expected that the protest rallies of the students would have turned so violent if not for the instigation by some people who are waiting to exploit such unsettling situation to create chaos and spread further unrest in the society.

IGP in-charge of administration K Jayanta, in particular, has taken strong exception to these alleged instigators not allowing the student protestors to return to their respective homes and forcing them to spend the night at Khwairamband Keithel and expressed confidence that the identity of the instigators could be established from the vehicles confiscated by the police from the market area.

We can't say for sure about the anti-social elements masquerading as students and taking part in the protest rallies to target security forces with slingshots and pelting stones.

But one thing that everyone can vouch for is the fact that whenever there is agitation in any part of the valley area, confrontation would inevitably ensue between the security personnel and the protestors, whether they be the students or any other aggrieved groups.

Surprisingly, such confrontations are conspicuously absent in the hill areas, more particularly in the Kuki-Chin dominated areas in the current conflict.

Regardless of whether permission had been sought or not for taking out any protest rally in the Kuki-Chin dominated areas, security personnel demonstrated an unusual patience and tolerance even to the point of listening quietly to using of abusive words and shouting anti-government slogans, which is unthinkable in the valley even though the grievances may be same.

So, people in the valley normally come out well prepared with toothpaste smeared under their eyes if they have to participate in any protest rally as clash with the security personnel, who would resort to firing tear gas shells and stun grenades to disperse them, is inevitable.

This stark difference in the approach of handling protestors by security personnel has made them to earn the sobriquet of being "Tiger in the valley and lamb in the hills," which is certainly not something to be proud of.

Anyway, as the two top police officers have acknowledged that there is no harm in taking out peaceful democratic protest in pursuance of legitimacy demands, Manipur Police should find out the identity of the instigators, who are trying to sabotage the democratic protest of students for realising the legitimate demands of resignation of the security advisor and the DGP, handing over the charge of Unified Command to the Chief Minister, among others.

It is the least that Manipur Police could do to change the negative public perception on not only its personnel but also on the entire security establishments pressed into service to contain violence in the state.