The need of the hour in Manipur: dousing the flame of violence and recovering the arms and ammunition that have been looted.

EOI, Editorial, 5 September 2023: Rather than fixing of responsibilities, the need of the hour in Manipur now is one of dousing the flame of violence and recovering the arms and ammunition that have been looted. 

The report of the fact finding committee of the Editors’ Guild of India may be right in its observation that the Manipur Government has not been able to rise up to the occasion, but the more immediate aspect is the steps required to control the spiraling violence. One thing is sure, the scale and pattern of violence in Manipur points to the involvement of underground groups of different hues. 

It is no use blaming communities at large, or putting the blame on one particular ethnic group. Ethnic conflict is not new to the north-east region, least of all in Manipur. One overriding feature of the whole region is that underground groups often owe allegiance to particular ethnic communities, and get involved in ethnic feuds. 

Most of these groups being armed and well-trained, ethnic clashes as a consequence often assume a devastating shape in the north-east. It is not easy for a state police force, not even Central para-military force, to fight these underground groups which even still have bases in neighbouring countries. 

The army and a dedicated force like the Assam Rifles which are trained in counter-insurgency operations are the right forces to be deployed under such occasions. In recent years, however, the involvement of the army in counter-insurgency tasks has been gradually reduced. With the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from many parts of Manipur the army does not enjoy a level playing field to launch operations either. 

The looting of several hundreds of rifles and other firearms, and more importantly, thousands of rounds of ammunition, mostly from police stations in some of the violence-hit areas of Manipur, requires, however, immediate action. 

These arms and ammunition must have found their ways to different underground groups still active in Manipur. The state is, thus, sitting on a powder-keg; which any government worth its name can ill afford. If it is necessary for the deployment of the army with special powers for the recovery of these looted arms and ammunition, there should be no hesitation in this. Otherwise, any day the situation in the state may spiral out of control. 

All the feuding communities in Manipur have suffered in the course of the ethnic violence that has been continuing in the state for the past four months now. Going by reports, one of the hill tribes may have suffered more than other communities in the course of this violence. 

The sympathy expressed for this community in the report of the Editors’ Guild of India is understandable and laudable. Yet, the need of the hour is to answer how to ensure protection to this community. The deployment of the army to bring the underground groups under control seems to be the best possible answer. 

True, people in Manipur in general have reservations against deployment of the army with special powers. But ethnic groups on the receiving end of violence in Manipur are known to be in favour of the presence of the army. It is also true that in the course of counter-insurgency operations there have been excesses. 

Some concrete suggestions on how this can be avoided from sagacious people like the top editors in the country would have been of real help.