Military veterans condemn Modi government’s failure to stem violence in Manipur

‘There has been a complete collapse of law and order in the state and the role of Manipur chief minister Biren Singh needs to be investigated as he is seen to be complicit’

Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, TT, New Delhi,  24.07.23 : Several military veterans have condemned the administration’s failure to stem the violence in Manipur, which reached its 82nd day on Sunday, alleging “dereliction of duty” and “complicity”.

Some of them have queried the implied “whataboutery” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had while denouncing the parading of two naked Kuki women in Manipur flagged crimes against women in Congress-run Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“Episodes of violence and depravity in Manipur are horrifying. Equally shameful are cases of dereliction of duty/ complicity. We are tired of hearing: what about this & what about that?” the former navy chief and 1971 war hero, Admiral Arun Prakash, tweeted on Sunday.

“Sack ALL who are incompetent, but use every means to restore sanity, order & amity to our NE.”

Earlier, on July 21, Prakash, the former navy chief, had tweeted: “With 1.3 million strong central armed police forces & a 1.4 million strong army at the government’s disposal, why does a state continue to be convulsed by violence, rape & arson for over two months? Are we helpless?”

A former lieutenant general told The Telegraph that “both the state government and the Centre have failed the people of Manipur”.

“There has been a complete collapse of law and order in the state and the role of Manipur chief minister Biren Singh needs to be investigated as he is seen to be complicit,” he said.

He added that the parading and sexual assault on two Kuki women on May 4, and the government’s inaction till the video of the atrocity surfaced on July 19, spoke of the “indifference and complicity of the administration”.

The video had forced Modi to break his deafening silence on the violence on its 79th day.

“Instead (of acting), the top leadership of the country and the central ministers are busy ‘balancing out’ this horrific crime with some cases of crime against women in other states,” the retired lieutenant general said.

“There is a difference between a rape committed with a criminal intent and sexual assault targeting minority women by a frenzied mob as part of ethnic cleansing.”

The mostly Hindu Meiteis are the majority community in Manipur, outnumbering the largely Christian and tribal Kukis.

“Prime Minister Modi was very ungracious when he indulged in whataboutery and politics while breaking his silence on the horrific incident in Manipur and compared the state with Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan,” a former brigadier said.

The brigadier added: “It was a very unfortunate statement given the horrific situation in Manipur.”

The retired lieutenant general said it was unfathomable that Biren Singh was still being allowed to continue as chief minister after his comment that Manipur had during the unrest witnessed hundreds of incidents similar to the videotaped sexual assault.

The army recently decided to hit with police cases and pension freeze ex-servicemen who “tarnish the force’s image”, a move seen as an attempt to muzzle veterans who have been criticisingthe government over the Chinese intrusions, Agniveer scheme and various other matters.

Referring to a media report on the gang rape of an 18-year-old woman in Manipur, retired lieutenant general H.S. Panag tweeted: “Another horrific incident! Social fabric of the nation has been torn apart.”

The teen was allegedly abducted, assaulted and gang-raped in Imphal Eastby armed men on May 15. She approached the police on July 21, two days after the video of the two Kuki women being paraded naked on May 4 surfaced, and an FIR was registered.

As for the May 4 incident, though a police FIR was registered soon after, the first arrests were made only on July 20, a day after the video went viral.