Pinning hope on judicial probe to end crisis
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 02, 2023 -

After over three weeks since outbreak of the communal clashes on May 3, home minister Amit Shah arrived on a four-day state visit to assess the ground sit-uation and demonstrate that, albeit belated, the union government will do the needful to find a solution of the ethnic conflict.

Within minutes after his arrival late Monday evening, the home minister chaired a closed-door meeting with chief minister N Biren, Union MoS for home Nityanand Rai, Biren's council of ministers, BJP's Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra, secretary in the ministry of home affairs Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) Tapan Kumar Deka, and state's chief secretary and security advisor.

As could be comprehended from composition of the meeting participants, the situation merited dissection from all perspectives and angles for the government both in the state and at New Delhi can't afford to let the problem lin-ger, especially taking into account of the fact that the Manipur crisis has started to draw the attention of international media.

Regardless of the ban on internet imposed with the stated objective to prevent spread of hate speeches and rumours, social media platforms continued to project the violence as clashes between Christians and Hindus, tribal and non-tribal communities and ethnic cleansing backed by the state's machinery, especially in the first few days after the riot broke out.

However, such false narratives seem to have been diluted to some extent due to gradual realisation by all concerned that religious places/structures were targeted by rioters from both sides and the clashes were primarily between Meetei and Kuki communities.

As allowing the situation to persist will only aggravate the problem and compound miseries of the affected commoners, the government authorities have been exploring all options available to restore normalcy and peace in the state at the soonest possible.

However, in-spite of the efforts to improve the law and order situation and measures to build confidence among the public; expedite relief measures and make essential items like petrol, LPG gas, rice and other daily requirements available to the common people; payment of compensation to the tune of Rs 10 lakh with half the amount to be borne by the state to the deceased persons and provision of one job to the family of the deceased; and take steps to curtail the misinformation campaign, there has been no respite from either the cycle of violence or dissemination of false narratives.

Interestingly, in-spite of the ban, there is offi-cial confirmation about some internet service providers in Churachandpur district defying the government order, thereby implying that the implementation part was overlooked.

With chief minister N Biren conceding that security lapses and intelligence failure led to spread of the violence, it is hoped that the decision to suspend internet service would be effec-tively enforced, if at all the government still believes that reining in the rumour mongers would help prevent escalation of tension and violence.

It is also hoped that Amit Shah's an-nouncement for a judicial enquiry headed by a retired judge into the Manipur violence will expose elements who engineered the clashes and that the security forces wouldn't relent from their assigned task to rein in cadres of SoO signatory outfits.