Time to act with an iron fist
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: November 02, 2023 -

THE near perfect picture of a conflict-torn state returning to peace and normalcy that the Chief Minister N Biren Singh led BJP Government in the tiny northern Indian state of Manipur has been trying to paint and present to the world without taking up any concrete measure for ensuring lasting peace has been shredded into pieces once again.

The death of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Manipur Police Department posted in Moreh in a daring attack carried out by armed Kuki militants who also left three security personnel injured in a subsequent ambush laid on a reinforcement team sent from the state capital Imphal to the border town has shown that the communal conflict between the Meitei/Meetei and the Kuki-Chin communities is far from over.

The conflict which broke out on May 3 last after a Tribal Solidarity March taken out in the hill areas in protest against a directive given by the High Court of Manipur to the Government of Manipur for sending recommendation to the Government of India for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list turned violent only in Kuki-Chin dominated areas, where the houses and properties of Meiteis/Meeteis were targeted, forcing people in the valley to retaliate, has so far led to loss of hundreds of precious human lives and rendered thousands of families homeless on both sides of the clash divide.

Even though the nexus of militancy, narcotics and illegal infiltration from across the international border has been acknowledged as the main factor fuelling the present conflict, the BjP-led governments both in the state as well as at the centre, have been doing nothing much other than assuring the people of taking up necessary counter-measures.

It is this lackadaisical attitude and negligence of the BJP-led governments both at the centre and in the state that has only emboldened the armed militants to carry on with their activities to destabilise peace and security in the region.

Sensing the angry mood of the people, the Government of Manipur may have ordered the security forces to launch a joint operation in Moreh and its adjoining areas and vowed not to relent until the culprits responsible for the crime are arrested.

But taking such/tough stance, after the blood of not only innocent civilians but also of security personnel had been allowed to spill needlessly, is not going to placate the angry people, who have suffered enough in the conflict, which is just short of two days to complete six months.

When the danger posed by militant groups from across the international border who are convincing with some inimical elements to stoke the current conflict in Manipur had been spelled out clearly by none other than Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself on the floor of Indian Parliament and the same reaffirmed by Union Minister of External Affairs S jaishanker at international forum, why the N Biren Singh-led BJP Government in the state has not been able to take decision independently for saving its own house from reducing to ashes, just like the thousands of other dwelling places that have been flatten or consumed in the fire of communal hatred, is simply baffling.

Standing in the pulpit to wave the order of Union Home Ministry roping in the service of National Investigating Agency (NIA), the specialised counter-terrorism law enforcement agency of the country, to probe into activities of some militant groups including those under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government and telling the people to wait and watch is not the quality anyone would expect from a truly great leader, who wants to save the territorial integrity of his motherland from the scourge of illegal immigration and narco-terrorism.

Without overcoming the threats of infiltration and narco-terrorism, any effort to rebuild the debilitating economy of the state and going on a spree of laying foundation stones for developmental projects is not going to bear fruit.

The days of mollycoddling anyone antithesis to the idea of Manipur as a geo-political entity must end and act with an iron fist to show them their place, if not, the door.