Armed men playing football, taunting Govt
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 08, 2025 -

THE NDTV report about armed persons donning football jerseys and playing the world's most popular game in broad daylight in a village under Kangpokpi district could be construed as substantiation of outcries by valley-based civil society organisations that the law enforcement personnel deployed in Kuki-dominated areas are indulgent when it comes to tackling unlawful acts unlike in the valley districts where such a scene/situation is certain to be dealt with appropriately.

As per the report of the national news media a particular 'football player', who carried two automatic assault rifles - one slung from the right shoulder, the other in hand, raised the gun and laughed, underscoring blatant disregard of the law of the land, which totally prohibits possession or display of unlicensed firearms, at-least in public space.

After the so-called 'match warm-up' video appeared in an Instagram post by a social media influencer from Kangpokpi district and the same has gone viral, questions are being raised whether the 60,000-plus central armed police force personnel rushed to the state to maintain law and order, have been specifically instructed by the central authorities to launch crackdowns on any armed persons, be they civilians - who took up arms to protect fringe villages from attacks by Kuki militants - or members of insurgent outfits, in the valley, and to exercise maximum restraints in the hills, Kuki populated areas in particular.

With exception of the retaliatory firing in a village in Jiribam district last November that led to the death of nine suspected Hmar militants, there has been no notable incident of the central forces opening fire even in-spite of facing attacks on numerous occasions.

Amid aspersions cast on complicity of central forces, already stationed in the state or newly brought in after outbreak of the Kuki-Meetei conflict in May 2023, visuals of the NDTV report showing 'a dozen men in football kits carrying AK and American-origin M series assault rifles, and kicking a football around', underscore serious breach of law and order in Kangpokpi district, one of the hotspots of the conflict.

While red ribbons tied around the barrel of the guns wielded by the 'players' are synonymous with Kuki militants, including armed groups, which are signatories to the suspension of operation agreement signed by two conglomerates of Kuki armed outfits with governments of India and Manipur, the question is how presence of such armed persons, that too in a public space, missed the eagle-eyed security personnel, who are certain to be stationed within the area where the 'football match' was played.

After the video clips of the armed men playing football went viral, the social media handlers/influencer, namely Nampi Romeo Hansong, has deleted the Instagram video which carried the watermark 'Kukiland' and a hashtag in his name, thereby hinting that Hansong has inadvertently posted the short video to attract and increase the number of his followers.

Thus, it is imperative that either the government entrust officials known for their no-nonsense approach to such elements and acts or impress upon the ministry of home affairs to revoke the SoO pact, which was signed to pave the way for holding discussion with leaders of the SoO signatories, for lasting peace in the region, and not to taunt the establishment.