Back from Delhi on 'positive' notes : Take things further
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 29, 2025 -

Sounds positive, positive in the sense that the seven member team of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and the five member team of Federation of Civil Societies (FOCS), appear to have put their points before the Union Home Ministry with conviction.

This is the impression that has been created and one hopes this is another step to take things to its logical conclusion.

In line with the positive stance struck by the two organisations, the words of regret expressed by the Chief Secretary over the Gwaltabi incident of May 20 need to be noted.

The question however is, what next?

One hopes the positive stance struck by the two organisations is taken to its logical conclusion and New Delhi acts on the points put forward during the May 27 meeting.

This is what Manipur would expect and in line with the expectations, one can hope for further interactions with the Centre.

As FOCS put it, the focus should be on dialogue and as repeatedly pointed out by The Sangai Express this is the time for Delhi to act as the host to bring all the people concerned to the negotiating table.

In as much as it is important for Manipur to lay her cards well on the table and put the facts straight, it is also important for Delhi to demonstrate that it is ready to walk the talk without letting the compulsion of geopolitics blind its vision.

This is where the call of COCOMI to do away with the stamp of legitimacy accorded to armed groups under the SoO pact gains prominence.

This is a critical issue and should be understood in the context of the fact that even as many mainstream media went to town with the 'country made' guns used by the Kuki-Zo-Chin village volunteers, there has come the news that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge-sheeted three Mizoram persons for gun running, which has exacerbated the violence in Manipur.

Now to whom were the guns supplied ? To the 'village volunteers'?

Guns which are smuggled will obviously not fall in the category of Pumpi or country made guns and this should legitimise the question which has been raised many times in this column, 'from where have the guns used by the Kuki-Zo-Chin folks come ?'

The particular NIA case that has been referred is just a question of three persons being arrested, and one cannot write off the possibility of many others who went undetected.

The call to abrogate SoO should be seen in the context of the fact that its cadres are involved in the series of attacks launched on the Meitei community, from day 1, that is from the day gun wielding elements could be seen openly taking part in the Tribal Solidarity March of May 3, 2023.

Looking back at the past may not exactly go along with the understanding of taking things forward, but the need to be clear on certain vital points need not be overstressed.

Violence erupted at Churachandpur on May 3, 2023 and not at Imphal or any other place.

The first houses set on fire were at Torbung and Churachandpur on the said day.

Imphal reacted only late in the evening of May 3, 2023.

Or if the protesters had anything against the policies and programmes of the Government or even against the ruling of the High Court of Manipur to send the ethnographic and socioeconomic report of the Meiteis to study the demand that they be included in the ST list of the Constitution of India, why were the Meiteis identified, picked out and attacked at Churachandpur and Torbung on May 3, 2023?

These are points which should be made clear before the Union Home Ministry team.

And why have the Kuki-Zo-Chin folks been playing the victim card, a card played so well that media in other parts of the country lapped it up and are still lapping it up?

For Manipur to move forward towards the path of reconciliation the facts should be put on record before the Centre. And the job before COCOMI and FOCS should be clear.

April 5, May 27 are important dates, dates that should be seen as the first two steps taken up to help take Manipur towards normalcy and one hopes more such dates can be added in the days to come.