Opinion by Editorial
The continuing violence is a reminder of an unaddressed crisis, and abdication of political responsibility
The responsibility for this continuing crisis rests with the N Biren Singh-led state government and the Centre, whose actions have mostly been restricted to empty rhetoric and vague promises of dialogue.
Nov 13, 2024 02:55 IST First published on: Nov 13, 2024 at 04:55 IST
The renewal and escalation of violence in Manipur underlines the continuing militarisation of the state. It has long been apparent, too, that it is also a reflection of the political impasse that has immobilised the work of governance. The neutralisation of 10 suspected militants by security forces in Jiribam district — the highest number of casualties in a single day this year — comes as reiteration of the state’s abject failure to bring under control the smouldering ethnic conflict that continues to roil the state well over a year after it began in May 2023. The encounter comes in the wake of the killing of a Hmar woman that had escalated tensions in Manipur’s westernmost district and in the aftermath of the tussle between the CM’s office and the Unified Command of the security forces deployed in the state to restore law and order. In the push and pull of violent ethnic sub-nationalism, exacerbated by political turmoil in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar, the biggest casualty remains the people.
The responsibility for this continuing crisis rests with the N Biren Singh-led state government and the Centre, whose actions have mostly been restricted to empty rhetoric and vague promises of dialogue. Even a cursory look at Manipur’s history would indicate the need to tread with care. Since it attained statehood in 1972, contestations over indigeneity, land rights and resource allocation, reservation and a more equal political representation have dogged the state and its three main tribal communities — the Kukis, Meiteis and Nagas. In 1992, the Naga-Kuki clash marked the first long-drawn ethnic conflict in the region, followed by the Meitei-Pangal conflict in 1993 and the Kuki-Paite hostilities of 1997. The lesson to be drawn from these conflagrations would have been the efficacy of mediation over mayhem, dialogue over militarisation, and, above everything else, governance that puts the people — all people — at its centre. It would have meant working on creating economic opportunities, building infrastructure and developing healthcare. Manipur is crucial to India’s Look East policy, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway stands to boost trade and commerce in the region. What the lacklustre political response to the ongoing crisis has achieved, however, is a deepening of identity politics.
The demand for accountability is urgent — from a CM who has simply not squared up to his task and from a Centre that refuses to engage with Manipur in any meaningful or ameliorating way. Manipur deserves better.
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