Save Manipur

MANIPUR continues to burn despite the Centre’s intervention and the state government’s efforts to restore peace and normalcy. The rule of lawlessness was starkly visible on Thursday night, when a mob vandalised the house of Union Minister of State for External Affairs RK Ranjan Singh in Imphal and set it afire. Though Singh and his family were not in town at that time, the incident laid bare the anger directed at the BJP, the ruling party in the state and at the Centre. The previous day, nine persons were killed in a gunbattle after a Kuki village in Khamenlok area was attacked. The recent visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the northeastern state had raised hopes of a cessation of hostilities between the warring Meiteis and Kukis amid the deployment of Army and paramilitary personnel. However, there has been no let-up in violence a month and a half after clashes broke out during a protest march against the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

The Governor-headed peace committee, set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate talks between various ethnic groups, has run into trouble at the outset. A prominent Meitei civil society organisation has refused to join the panel, while an apex Kuki body has objected to the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in it. Theatre doyen Ratan Thiyam has also pulled out on a bitter note.

The Centre needs to urgently review the panel’s composition and make changes that are acceptable to various stakeholders. The ‘double-engine’ government must crack down on militant groups that are exploiting the volatile situation. Disarming militants is a prerequisite for creating an environment conducive for holding negotiations. A long-term plan must be prepared to tackle the twin problems of narco-terrorism and illegal immigration. Above all, sincere efforts are needed to bridge the trust deficit not only between the warring groups and the powers that be but also among the communities themselves.