MHA continues to grapple with Manipur problem

Despite the presence of a unified command, which was formed by the MHA in May 2023 after violence had broken out in the state, there has not been much improvement on the ground. After a brief lull, violence escalated in September with even the AFSPA being reimposed in most of the districts.

The unified panel is headed by Kuldip Singh, the security adviser to the embattled Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

With the chorus to remove Biren as the CM rising, the Centre has surprisingly been quiet on the matter.

With militants from both Meitei and Kuki groups having been found with foreign-made weapons, Shah had earlier this year announced scrapping of the free movement regime (FMR) along the Myanmar border.

Security experts say the weapons are being sourced from neighbouring nations like Myanmar and China.

The idea to scrap the FMR was to maintain demographic structure of the north-eastern states and to ensure internal security, Shah had said after the decision.

Amid the chaotic situation there, the appointment of former Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla as the new Manipur Governor, indicated significant administrative development. Bhalla was the Home Secretary when the violence had erupted in the state last year.

While the state remains a thorny issue, Home Minister Amit Shah has claimed that the Centre will wipe out Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from Chhattisgarh — the last bastion of Naxal violence — by March 2026.

Having conducted three high-level review meetings with the Chhattisgarh Government between January and December 2024 on ways to tackle the LWE, Shah recently said when the state becomes Naxal-free, the entire country would get rid of the menace.

He pointed out 287 Naxalites were neutralised in 2024 while nearly 1,000 were arrested.

For the first time in four decades, the toll of civilians and security forces in Naxal violence has been brought down to less than 100, Shah had said.

The year 2024 though will also be remembered for the unveiling of the three new criminal laws, which became applicable from July 1 across the country after these were passed by Parliament during the 2023 winter session.

The new laws are Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (repeals Indian Penal Code, 1860), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (repeals Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973) and Bharatiya Saksha Sanhita (repeals Indian Evidence Act, 1872).

While the opposition has questioned the motive of these laws and alleged that no discussion with political parties were conducted before drafting such laws, the Home Minister had said these laws were "protectors of civil rights and the basis of ease of justice".

Surge in violence in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Jammu sector after the Reasi attack, where pilgrims were targeted by militants in June, emerged as another cause of concern for the Centre during 2024, as several such attacks have occurred in succession in the past six months.

The UT of Ladakh witnessed creation of five new districts. However, its UT status without a legislative Assembly attracted protests, mainly by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been demanding statehood for Ladakh.