IT Desk
Imphal, June 16:
The people of Manipur have been suffering from violence that has persisted for more than a year. The immediate causes of the violence have been reported in various ways by multiple media organizations and agencies. However, the Chief Minister of the state, Shri N. Biren Singh, has consistently maintained that the immediate causes of the violence are due to his government’s actions against poppy cultivation, strict measures against narco-terrorists, eviction of encroachers from reserve forest lands, and most importantly, the state government’s mega action plan to identify illegal immigrants in the state. These steps were welcomed by all sections of society and praised as progressive.
Unfortunately, these initiatives began to directly impact wrongdoers. A handful of people, using the guise of democracy to mask their ill intentions, started protesting against the initiatives. Some individuals, who had profited through various illicit means, formed a strong opposition force. Instead of challenging the government’s decisions through legal channels, they targeted vulnerable citizens in specific areas of the state. These forces attempted to disguise their intentions as ethnic or communal violence, and to some extent, they succeeded. Across the globe and the nation, it is now perceived and reported as ethnic violence in the state.
Manipur is known for its diverse culture and community, with different interests that have coexisted for hundreds of years, respecting each other’s dignity. As time passed, the dynamics of state, national, and international affairs changed, and so did the spectrum of violence in the state. Since May 31st, 2023, the unified command power has been removed from the Chief Minister. Many political analysts describe this as akin to cutting the wings of a bird and expecting it to fly high.
Over a year has passed, and recently, violence erupted in the previously peaceful western part of the state, in Jiribam district. People are not surprised by the inaction of the security forces in controlling the violence. A peculiar precedent has been observed in the central forces’ actions: evacuating citizens from violence-hit areas instead of providing security and safety. The Chief Minister’s office has timely communicated with all concerned, including the Director General, about potential security measures in the Jiribam district. The chairmanship of the unified command was already removed on May 31st, 2023. Many citizens suspect this process to be a design by some forces to further divide the state.
There have been reports that the state government alerted the concerned authorities about the potential security threat in and around Jiribam district as early as January 2024. However, the inaction by the authorities raises a significant question: Is there a sinister design and intention to break the state of Manipur?
