Onus on security forces to justify normalcy claims
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 13, 2023 -

CASUALTY and injuries suffered by Mani-pur police commando during a shootout with unknown armed persons suspected to be cadres of a Kuki insurgent outfit in Bish-nupur district on Thursday and injury inflicted on an Assam Rifles jawan in Imphal East dis-trict a day earlier testify direct involvement of well-armed militants in the communal clash between two communities.

These gunfights leave ample room to suspect hidden agenda of one of the communities involved in the conflict other than the tension brewing over the contentious ST demand by the Meetei community.

The fact that Thursday's attack took place within less than 24 hours after Kuki militants fired upon a joint team of Army and Assam Rifles at Dolaithabi in Imphal East district and intermittent firing on Meetei vil-lages also indicate that cadres of Kuki armed outfits have fanned out to different locations, especially in the vicinity of the valley districts rather than staying put in their designated camps in accordance to the ground rules of the suspension of operation agreement.

Days after the state witnessed unprecedented violent clashes, attacks, counter attacks and arson of houses and vehicles there has been semblance of return to normalcy, at-least in the valley districts.

However, attacks on secu-rity forces as well as civilians for the past few days are tell-tale signs that total peace and harmony will remain elusive unless movement and activities of the Kuki armed outfits could be brought under control.

Reports of bunkers found built in some villages vacated by the Meetei people also contradict the chief min-ister's assertion in the aftermath of displace-ment of people due to the violence that the government will not allow forced occupation or possession of houses and properties of the riot-affected people.

It also sounds ridiculous for the security forces to carry out flag marches and confidence building measures in disturbance-free areas when attacks on civilian population in the outlaying villages cannot be contained.

Bringing the situation under complete control is also exactly the reason why the Union government rushed in additional central forces to the state.

As such, in case the Kuki armed groups continue to intimidate and attack the civilian population then it is but natural that posers would be raised on diligence of the security forces and intention of the government both in the state and at the Centre.

Moreover, the government's claim that the overall situation in the state has improved wouldn't impress many if Meetei villagers feel insecure and flee their homes to take refuge at relief camps.

Taking into account of the fact some villages inhabited by the Meetei community have already raised the demand for issuing licenced firearms there is fear that continuous threat and aggression by the Kuki militants might lead to escalation of tension and ultimately to bloodier showdown than the mob violence witnessed in the first few days after May 3.

Thus, it is suggested that whoever is entrusted to oversee security set-up in the state accord priority towards ensuring that the Kuki rebels return to their designated camps as mandated, establish security posts of state or central forces in sensitive areas to facilitate return of all the families affected by the communal riots and sanitise the highways to facilitate disturbance-free transportation of at-least essential goods failing which deploy-ment of additional central armed forces in the state will serve no purpose.