Blame on State forces: Propaganda warfare
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 28, 2024 -

A massive protest demonstration was staged on Saturday at Moreh on the primary demand of restoration of peace at the border town and opening of educational institutions.

No doubt, there should be peace not only at Moreh but all across Manipur.

However, with a premeditated and sustained war for creation of a separate and exclusive domain for Kuki-Zo people raging across the State, peace remains elusive although a large section of people yearns for it.

The civil society organisations of Moreh have been asking for withdrawal of State security forces from the border town.

Saturday’s protest demonstration was also directed against the State security forces.

In another word, these so called CSOs have been blaming the State security forces for the violence and/or the restive situation prevailing in the border town.

This is simply preposterous, to say the least.

Chingtham Anandkumar, SDPO Moreh was gunned down by Kuki militants in the heart of Moreh town on October 31, 2023.

Again, two IRB personnel were killed in another dastardly attack carried out by Kuki militants on January 17, 2024.

In between, there were repeated attacks against state forces deployed in the border town.

Still then, the state security forces have been acting within the confines of the law and as per the rule book whereas the Kuki militants have been violating all the established laws and openly challenging the very foundation of Manipur.

Strangely, the Kuki CSOs did not bother to utter a single word of condemnation against the terror attacks.

In fact, State security forces are at the receiving end of the relentless attacks by Kuki militants but the so called CSOs of Moreh have the audacity to blame State security forces for the restive situation besieging the border town.

A memorandum submitted by several Kuki CSOs to Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that State security forces are the main obstacle in the restoration of peace in Moreh.

This is quite absurd but understandable given the common agenda of Kuki militant groups and Kuki CSOs to create an exclusive and separate administration for Kuki-Zo people outside the state of Manipur.

Hours after the premeditated and pre-planned aggression erupted in Churachandpur on May 3, 2023, Meitei community of Moreh were also targeted.

Thousands of Kuki-Chin militants and their supporters attacked Meitei families and burnt down their houses. Caught totally off-guard, the unsuspecting Meiteis had to flee for their life.

Hundreds of them including women, children, sick and aged had to take refuge in the jungles of Myanmar (Burma) for months before they were eventually rescued.

After cleansing the Meitei community from Moreh, the next strategy of the Chin-Kuki militants and their supporters was to block the entry of state forces in Moreh because they know that as long as state forces are stationed in Moreh, Meetei will come back and resettle in the border town.

It came as a major setback to the champions of the Kuki-Zo separate administration that they could not block the entry of state forces into Moreh.

In their attempts to drive away the state security forces, Chin-Kuki militants have been repeatedly attacking the security forces.

These persistent terror attacks are the primary and principal cause of whatever violence or the restive situation besieging the border town.

The blame heaped on state forces is just a part of the propaganda warfare which is devoid of even an iota of truth.

First, the Meiteis were cleansed from Moreh and now the champions of separate administration including both militant groups and CSOs are making all efforts to see withdrawal of state forces from the border town either through physical warfare or propaganda warfare or both, with a not so veiled intention to claim exclusive ownership of Moreh.

Even a high school student can see through this plan.

Stop terror attacks and let there be rule of law; Moreh will be as peaceful as it ever was.