New Delhi: The outbreak of fresh violence in Manipur — in which five people, all Meiteis, including two policemen — have been killed this month, ongoing tensions in the border town of Moreh and the resulting disgruntlement of MLAs from the state’s valley districts, has prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to rush a special team of three senior serving and former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers to the state to “manage the situation”, ThePrint has learnt.
According to a top government source, the three-member team — including former special director (IB) A.K. Mishra and joint director (IB, Northeast) Mandeep Singh Tuli — reached Manipur Monday evening in an Indian Air Force aircraft.
This comes at a time when in a resolution adopted by the 12th Manipur Legislative assembly , and signed by 35 of 39 MLAs in the valley (the assembly has a total of 60 members), the legislators went on record to say that if their demands are not met by the Central government, they will take “appropriate action”
The MLAs in the resolution said, “Government of India should take up appropriate action at the earliest. And in case it is unable to take any positive action as per our demands, the legislators will take appropriate action in consultation with the public.”
ThePrint has a copy of the resolution.
Among the demands of the 38 MLAs, are the suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements with armed militant groups, complete disarmament of all illegal arms “in the possession of miscreants”, stopping of alleged “armed attack on Indian soil by Myanmar-based Armed Militants” and “strict instructions and accountability for the Assam Rifles.”
“Tempers are running high. The MLAs in the valley have demanded that Assam Rifles be held accountable for their inaction since Meteis have been on the target. The MLAs have not threatened to resign yet, but that is the mood,” the government source said.
The resolution, sources in the security establishment said, is being seen as an “act of rebellion by the state”.
According to the source, the three-member team has been sent by the Centre because the situation in the state has worsened. They will be holding talks with different stakeholders including politicians, civil society groups and will also interact with the forces. The team will also prepare a ground report that will then be shared with the Centre, the source added.
“Extortion in the valley is at an all-time high. Meitei radical groups like Arambai Tenggol have taken control. They are even pressuring ministers of state to stand with them. The law and order is worsening with people in the valley now protesting against the forces for not using a heavy hand. They, however, do not understand that it is a very complex and sensitive situation that requires careful handling,” the source said.
Manipur has been on the boil since 3 May, 2023, when festering ethnic tensions between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities erupted into full-fledged violence. Police data shows that the death toll so far stands at 205, while 50,000 people have been displaced.
Shaped like a bowl, the state is geographically divided into the hill and valley areas. While the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley occupies the central region, the southern hills are primarily inhabited by the Kuki tribes, and the northern hills are home to the Nagas.
Also Read: More than 6 weeks on, Manipur is still ablaze. It’s a saga of failures, from state govt to Centre
What the resolution says
One of the demands in the resolution is the suspension of SoO and the “immunity it provides to these groups from action by Central forces” which is being alleged to be “the main cause of the never-ending cycle of violence”.
The ‘suspension of Operations (SoO)’ camps — which have become the focal point of the ongoing conflict in the state — were established as part of a pact signed on 22 August, 2008 between Kuki militant groups and the central and Manipur governments, in light of the Kuki-Naga clashes in the 1990s.
According to the SoO agreement, members of these groups were required to suspend their operation as insurgents and stay within designated camps with their weapons securely stored in safe zones under a double-locking system.
The cadres were prohibited from opening fire, and the security forces from launching operations against them.
Although the agreement — aimed at halting the violence and “resolving” the conflict stemming from the Kukis’ demand for an “independent Kuki homeland” — is reviewed each year, it is extended annually by the MHA with minimal deliberation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has time and again, including ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, promised to “solve” the long-pending issue if the BJP came to power in the state.
“Suspension of Operation with militants who indulge in killing of innocent civilians and violation of ground rules should be abrogated immediately. The SoO agreement with other militant groups who also indulge in anti-state activities should not be extended beyond its expiry date of 29/2/2024,” the resolution says.
It also demands “complete disarmament of all illegal arms in the possession of miscreants and unauthorised persons in the entire state at the earliest by the Central and State forces.”
“Armed attacks (using sophisticated weaponry such as Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers) on Indian soil, Indian citizens and State security forces by Myanmar-based Armed Militants must be stopped at all costs,” the resolutions adds.
The leaders also alleged that in many of the sensitive areas in the state, Assam Rifles personnel were “not responsive” and remained “mute spectators” when unarmed civilians (particularly farmers) are being indiscriminately fired upon frequently.
“The claim that their deployment is providing security to the communities residing in these areas has been questioned,” the resolution says.
It adds that these forces and their leadership need to give strict instructions and be held accountable and replaced with forces that have the ability to act by returning suppressive fire when they observe that unarmed civilians are being fired upon, to enable civilians to get to cover and safety.
“Such a reaction, which is wholly appropriate to safeguard the lives of civilians under fire, has been non-existent which is why the public’s faith and trust in the forces presently deployed at places such as Moreh, Bishnupur, Imphal West, Kakching etc. has been shattered,” it says.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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