Leaving undone what ought to be done
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 15, 2024 -

WHILE the latest report of seizure of over 700 kilograms of explosives bound for Manipur from Sairang locality in Aizawl district of Mizoram, which came within days of recovery of as many as 3000 rounds of ammunition for sniper rifle and 10 Passive Night Sight (PNS) devices in Lawngthai district, has shed some light on the lingering question of how the supposedly "poor and prosecuted Kuki-Chin people" seem to never run out of arms and ammunition in the ongoing clashes with the Meiteis/Meeteis, it is becoming apparent that the desire of the violence-affected people to see restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur is going to remain unfulfilled, simply for the want of serious effort on the part of the state government and its security apparatus to do what ought to be done.

Right from the very beginning, Kuki-Chin groups have been maintaining that they are arming themselves with just licensed double and single-barrel rifles issued for hunting and some indigenously made cannons.

But the viral video clips of their arms display, training and action in the so-called frontlines uploaded on various social media platforms have shown otherwise. Instead of the licensed double and single-barrel rifles, sophisticated firearms like MMCs, SLRs, sniper rifles and other automatic weapons could be seen displayed brazenly by the Kuki-Chin time and again.

Even during the just concluded session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, chief minister N Biren Singh himself had categorically stated that Kuki-Chin cannot deny use of sophisticated weapons in carrying out attacks on the Meetei in the ongoing ethnic violence when opposition Congress MLA K Ranjit enquired whether the government is aware of the type of weapons used by the Kuki militants and the forensics expert team had come up with any findings.

Yet, the chief minister had maintained that National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are investigating the matter to identify the same with concrete evidence.

This is exactly what we have mentioned earlier about the desire of violence-affected people to see restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur remaining unfulfilled for the want of serious effort on the part of the government and its security apparatus to do what ought to be done.

The weapons being displayed brazenly by the Kuki-Chins are far more superior in terms of quality and lethality than the arms and ammunition that had been looted from the police armouries both in the hills and the valley by miscreants on either side of the clash divide is a fact none could deny.

So, by saying that NIA and CBI have been entrusted with the task of finding out concrete evidence of the types of weapons being used by Kuki-Chin in carrying out attacks on the Meetei, chief minister Biren and the state police department which is under his command, should not be under the impression that the people would be convinced and pacified.

Roping in the service of CBI or NIA for cases as simple as identifying the types of weapons and ammunition used by the Kuki-Chin, which the state police and its machineries could do so, is not a good trend.

Even if it has been done in the name of fairness, handing over every case related to the ongoing crisis in the state to the central investigation agencies, whose hands are already full in tackling high profile cases, is going to not only undermine the power and effectiveness of the state police forces but also give the impression of the government washing its hands off the work that had been left undone.

It is no wonder the Supreme Court of India on March 11 directed not only the government of Manipur but also the NIA and CBI to file reports elaborating on the status of probe into the incidents of ethnic violence in Manipur which has been going on for more than 10 months now and asked whether chargesheets have been filed in any case.