What's wrong with the security advisor ?
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 19, 2024 -

JUST as Maheswar Thounaojam, the national secretary of Republican Party of India (RPI-Athawale), has observed; the role and responsibility of Kuldiep Singh, who is currently serving as the security advisor to the Chief Minister of Manipur in addition to holding the charge of chairman of Unified Command in the tiny northeastern Indian state which has been witnessing violent confrontation between the Kuki-Chin and Meitei/Meetei communities since May 3 last year, is becoming more confusing.

If one analyses what he has been saying or doing all these months, then it becomes even more apparent.

Considered to be someone very close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah; Kuldiep Singh, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1986 batch who retired from active service as DG of CRPF in September, 2021, was brought back from retirement and appointed as the security advisor to the Chief Minister of Manipur a day after the violence broke out and spiralled out of control.

At the time of his appointment, it was said that Kuldiep was chosen for the post at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in due consideration of his vast experiences in working in conflict zones.

However, despite his presence in Manipur for more than eight months, there has been no abatement in the violence which has so far claimed hundreds of precious human lives and rendered homeless thousands of families, forcing them to seek shelter in various relief camps set up across the length and breadth of the state.

Of course, the nature of conflict in Manipur may be quite different from any of the difficult assignments he had handled successfully in the past, but after remaining in the state since a day after the outbreak of violence, he is expected to be well-versed by now about the trajectory pf the conflict and the tactics employed by elements inimical to the idea of Manipur as a geo-political entity for perpetuating the fire of communal hatred among people of different communities in this multi-ethnic society.

Unfortunately, the presence of Kuldiep Singh in Manipur not just as the security advisor to the Chief Minister but also in charge of the Unified Command seems to be not helping in the effort of restoring peace and normalcy in anyway nor in neutralising the subversive activities being perpetrated by armed Kuki-Chin miscreants with active support of militants from across the border.

While talking to the media recently regarding the attacks on security forces in the border town Moreh which have escalated since December last year, Kuldiep Singh is quoted to have said that "there is no proof of involvement of Kuki-Chin militants based in Myanmar in these attacks so far. However, reports have been received that attacks on security forces in Moreh are carried out by Kuki village volunteers and suspected Kuki militants."

Leaving aside the question of whether he is living in his own bubble or trying to fool the people by making such utterances that are in complete contrast to what's happening around, we would like to remind Kuldiep Singh of the simple fact that he has been appointed as the security advisor to the Chief Minister of Manipur by none other than the Union Home Minister himself, and both Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have acknowledged the involvement of external forces in fuelling the present conflict in Manipur.

Moreover, National Investigation Agency (NIA), the central counter terrorism law enforcement agency in the country, which he headed in an additional capacity as its director general while serving as the chief of CRPF for more than a year until retirement, is currently probing into a case related to transnational conspiracy by Myanmar and Bangladesh based leadership of terror outfits to wage war against the Government of India by exploiting the current ethnic unrest in the State of Manipur.

Despite all these, if anyone, who is working in the capacity of not just the security advisor to the Chief Minister of Manipur but also in charge of the Unified Command wants proof of involvement of Myanmar-based Kuki-Chin militants in the attacks on security forces in the border town Moreh, then something is seriously wrong.