Resolving Manipur crisis needs in-depth understanding : Lt Gen (Retd) Himalay
'Crisis is one of National security concern'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 27 2024:
Lt Gen (Retd) K Himalay has stated that resolving the Manipur crisis which erupted on May 3, 2023 needs an in-depth understanding of the crisis.
Talking to The Sangai Express, the retired army officer said, "To me, the crisis is not any ordinary communal violence or law and order problem.
The situation is a very complicated one.
"If we take into account the political turmoil in Myanmar, the Bangladesh Prime Minister's statement, the China factor and the perspectives of armed groups whether they are Nagas or Meiteis or Kukis, I think there is a big National security concern and as such, the authorities must adopt a different approach" .
So far, the approach of both the State Government and the Central Government seem to focus on just conflict management and law and order management, Lt Gen Himalay opined.
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It's time for both the Centre and the State Government to go beyond law and order or conflict management and take up steps for conflict resolution.
In order to bring the crisis to an end, the Government needs to change its policy.
"I think the Government's policy with respect to the 14 months old crisis has failed", he opined.
Expressing keen desire for the Central Government to take pro-active roles towards resolving the crisis, K Himalay asserted that the Centre's understanding of the crisis should be informed by a factual assessment.
It would be more dangerous if the Centre's conflict resolution initiatives are based on false narratives rather than factual assessment, he said.
Certainly, the Central Government would be having volumes of information and data on the Manipur crisis.
Whatever policies or strategies devised by the Government would be misplaced or misdirected if these data and information are not analysed thoroughly, he continued.
Conflict resolution would take some time.
It is different from law and order management or conflict management.
Nonetheless, conflict resolution measures must be initiated urgently, National Highways should be opened to all sections of people, administrative functions of the Government must be resumed and the issue of displaced persons must be considered on priority basis, he asserted.
In order to push forward the conflict resolution measures, the Government may constitute a peace committee comprising five to seven members.
The peace committee should have representatives from the Meitei, Naga and Kuki communities and a few personalities from outside the State, Himalay elaborated.
The peace committee formed earlier by the Government was too big and had too many members, he remarked.
Political representatives of both the parties need to sit together and deliberate on securing a collective future after studying the factual ground position and all the relevant rules and laws.
The Government should facilitate people to people contact at the level of civil society organisations and create an atmosphere conducive for recovering all the weapons from both the parties, without limiting to the looted weapons, Lt Gen (retd) K Himalay said.
The Government should also ensure that the social media war between the two sides is also stopped effectively.
Following the large-scale violence which erupted on May 3, 2023, it was said that 65,000 armed forces including Central forces, IRB and MR were deployed in Manipur.
Out of them, around 15,000 went back for election duty.
Now it is said that they too have come back.
Although it is the duty of the Security Advisor or the Unified Command to deploy the armed forces, the State's Home Department cannot be sidelined totally, he said.
Observing that the current situation is different from the one that existed in May last year, the retired army officer asserted that deployment of armed forces should be done based on the current situation.
There is little indication of sending additional forces to the State in the aftermath of the high level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
If the armed forces have a strength of 65,000, they can control the violence, he said.
All armed forces personnel should have strong discipline and they must be trained exhaustively.
If persons who cannot control their emotions are given weapons, there is a strong possibility of these people doing more harm than good, he said.
When there is indiscipline among the armed persons, it would be hard to execute any organised strategy or work, the retired army officer said.
For this very reason, recovering and confiscating illegal arms would be a positive step, he added.
Both sides may lay down arms if some sort of trust is restored between them, opined Himalay.
The retired army officer said that there are chances of limited combing operations.
It appears that operations are being carried out at several places of Imphal valley under CrPC within the jurisdictions of 19 police stations from where AFSPA has been repealed.
Combing operations may also be carried out in the remaining places of the valley districts and the hill districts under AFSPA where AFSPA is still in force.
"There are too many weapons and cases of extortion have become unbearable.
I think there will be combing operations", Himalay said.
Saying that it does not matter whether the term of the Suspension of Operation is extended or not, the retired army officer maintained that he would not like to comment on the matter.