Imphal: In Imphal’s Khurai village, a box with a banner — ‘Please drop your snatched weapons here’ — gathers dust and cobwebs, much to the amusement of onlookers. Several youngsters from Khurai and adjoining areas reach every now and then to click a selfie, before being shooed away by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
The box, which was put by BJP MLA L. Susindro to “encourage locals” for surrendering the arms and ammunition that they looted from police armouries, has been reduced to a “photo booth”, the personnel say.
While a few civilians initially deposited some broken or ammunition-depleted weapons, the surrender of arms remained scarce, they add.
This initiative joins the growing list of unsuccessful attempts to disarm civilians in Manipur, which has been facing clashes between Meiteis and Kukis for nearly two months. On Sunday, three more lives were lost in Khoijumantabi village, situated on the border of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts.
Even as the Centre has deployed thousands of additional security forces including the Army, the spell of violence remains to be contained. Rather than actively going after armed insurgents from both sides, security forces are focused on maintenance of peace like what a UN peacekeeping operation would do, the sources said.
Though designated spots for arms surrender were announced, the forces are also maintaining buffer zones between the warring Meiteis and Kukis, they added.
In a way, the box in Khurai encapsulates the situation that central security personnel find themselves in Manipur.
Despite numerous efforts, such as peace committee meetings, appeals led by local leaders, and joint combing operations, none have succeeded in achieving disarmament.
Over a month has passed since more than 5,000 sophisticated automatic weapons like the AK47s were looted by civilians, primarily from the Imphal Valley, out of which only 1,118 have been recovered till date, police data shows. The rest are being “openly used by the civilians to carry out killings”, sources in the security establishment told ThePrint.
On 27 May, mobs had stormed the Manipur Police Training Centre in Pangei, Imphal East, making off with a cache of weapons, including Self-Loaded Rifles, INSAS, Light Machine Guns, .303 rifles, carbines, as well as grenades, tear gas shells and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Arms were also pilfered from police battalions and stations in various locations, including some police stations in the Kuki-dominated hills, across Manipur.
Initially, some individuals responded to government and local leaders’ appeals by abandoning weapons in trees, fields, and even garbage heaps. However, even that meager contribution has ceased, according to police sources.
With a significant number of armed local people roaming freely, incidents of fresh violence are being reported daily throughout the state, particularly in the foothills, leading to a constant rise in the toll.
The ongoing violence has claimed over 150 lives and displaced over 50,000 people, police data show.
According to sources in the security establishment, the failure to resolve the issue stems from a combination of factors, including a lack of political will, restrained forces, and a divided police force within the state.
Also Read: In Manipur, it’s Kuki vs Meitei cops — how unrest exposed ‘ethnic’ faultlines within state police
Restrained forces, divided police
A significant obstacle to disarmament efforts is the growing support of civilians in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley for proscribed militant groups, they said.
Compounding the challenge, the Army and the Assam Rifles lack the legal framework to enter most of the villages in the Imphal Valley for operations, as they are not classified “disturbed areas” since the lifting of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) there.
Most attacks, the sources said, are being launched by Meitei insurgent groups from denotified areas that are no longer considered disturbed.
Of the 92 police stations in Manipur, the AFSPA has been removed from 19 stations across seven districts. The disturbed area declaration under the AFSPA was in effect since 2004, but in April 2022, the notification was lifted from 15 police stations due to improvements in law and order.
Shaped like a bowl, Manipur is surrounded by nine hills. 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.
“Both Meiteis and Kukis have armed groups supporting and assisting them. What makes crackdown a challenge in Imphal Valley is that it is a ‘peaceful area’ which restrains the forces from any overt action,” the source said.
In Imphal Valley, the central forces do not have power to make arrests in these areas or independently carry out operations, as they are deployed to assist the police.
“For any raid, combing operation or action, we are dependent on the local police that itself stands divided on ethnic lines,” the source added.
As reported by ThePrint, the police force is divided deep along ethnic lines on the ground in Manipur. This divide is also impeding the joint combing operations held to recover weapons as policemen are allegedly providing advance warnings and tip-offs to the villages of their community, resulting in failed operations, the source said.
The Manipur Police is yet to begin any investigation to recover the stolen arms, the source added.
With the inventory records of the weapons also stolen, the police only have an estimated number of how many weapons were actually looted.
“The state machinery has completely collapsed and needs urgent intervention if things are to be brought under control,” the source said. “There are numerous sophisticated weapons with civilians, being loosely used to open fire on each other, and most attempts to secure them are failing. It is an extremely dangerous situation that must be contained promptly.”
Lack of political will
Since violence erupted in Manipur, the state government’s response has been limited to measures such as internet shutdowns, curfews, and meetings with groups representing the two communities. However, these actions have not yielded significant results.
According to a third source in the security establishment, the internet shutdown is turning ineffective as locals use alternative means of communication, such as Chinese walkie-talkies and phone calls.
Additionally, curfews failed to restrict the movement of people in the foothills, where incidents of violence are frequently reported.
The source added that despite the imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC, which restricts the assembly of people, hundreds of Meitei women gather at the entry points of villages and highways. They coordinate with each other and are often the first to assemble whenever there is any movement of forces.
“The curfew is a joke,” the source said. “This issue cannot have a military solution. This requires a political solution. But it appears that there is a complete lack of will.”
With fresh incidents of violence being reported from different parts on a daily basis, the state is being accused of being hand in glove with the Meiteis for “political gains” and to target the Kuki minority.
According to the 2011 Census, the Meiteis constitute approximately 53 percent of Manipur’s population of 2.8 million, making them the largest community in the state. In contrast, the Kukis account for 28 percent, while the Nagas make up 21 percent.
The majority of Meiteis reside in the Imphal Valley, which comprises just 10 percent of the state’s land but is the most developed region. The remaining 90 percent of the land, where Kukis and Nagas reside, falls under the hill districts.
Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip accused the police of willingly handing over their weapons to arm the Meiteis, with the intention of eliminating the Kukis. He also accused the state of being complicit in the attack on the Kukis and failing to take strict action against individuals in the valley.
“The state has been abusing its powers, using it against the minority Kuki community,” he said. “Our only hope now lies with the Central government. The situation is extremely volatile, and decisive actions must be taken to resolve this promptly.”
Along with United Peoples’ Front (UPF), the KNO is one of the two umbrella organisations of Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur.
K.H. Athouba, a Meitei leader from Civil Society Group COCOMI, claimed the looting of arms was done to “defend themselves” and that these weapons do not pose a threat to the internal security of the country or are engaged in criminal activities.
“They (Meiteis) were being attacked with snipers, automatic weapons by the Kukis. That is when they took arms, to protect themselves. They did it for their survival,” he said.
“These weapons in the hands of Meteis are not a threat to the security forces, or the state. These are not being used for any criminal activity. Once normalcy returns, the weapons too will be returned. Once violence is over, the arms will not be required for anything.”
In response, a senior Kuki leader argued, “If the arms are not being used against the security forces, does that mean it’s okay for civilians to possess them? They are still being used to kill civilians, right? Isn’t that a crime? Does this imply that the police should be fine with it? This statement merely demonstrates the state’s collusion with the majority Meiteis.”
Also Read: Complex Manipur, clueless BJP: Modi govt runs out of ideas in our most ungovernable state
Arms —’a fixed deposit’, mistrust
The lack of trust in the state and its forces is proving to be a significant hurdle in the process of disarming civilians, according to an intelligence source.
In a society deeply divided and marked by a lack of trust, civilians are reluctant to rely on the state or its forces to maintain law and order. Instead, they prefer to take matters into their own hands, making it challenging for the state and its forces to disarm individuals, the source said.
These weapons have become a kind of “fixed deposit” for the civilians, the source explained.
“Many who possess these weapons have little, or no knowledge of how to use them properly. This lack of expertise increases the risk of accidental deaths. However, for these individuals, having weapons in their homes provides a sense of security, as they distrust the state’s ability to ensure their safety. This represents a significant failure for any law enforcement agency tasked with maintaining law and order,” the source asserted.
Fear, aggression by locals
L.Kulchandra, pradhan of Haraorol village of Imphal East, barely a kilometre away from the police training college, is in a fix.
He is aware that residents from his village were among the mobs that raided the police training college and took away police arms, but he cannot push them to surrender the weapons fearing “backlash from his own community”.
“We carried out meetings with the club members, and I told them that holding up police weapons is illegal and they must surrender them. While some agreed and surrendered them at the local police station, there are many who are still in possession of the weapons,” he said. “I cannot push them much, I can only appeal.”
This fear of reprisal is causing peace talks to falter, according to a state government officer.
“We invite representatives from villages and urge them to convince their residents to surrender, but despite our efforts, we face a dead end. They are afraid of repercussions from their own communities, so they hesitate to push for surrender, and the forces are unable to enter the villages by force. In the end, all these efforts go in vain,” the officer explained.
According to sources in the security establishment, the resistance by local people, including women groups known as Meira Paibis, is also becoming a big challenge in carrying out operations for recovery of looted weapons.
Earlier this month, during an operation in Itham village in Imphal East, the security forces apprehended self-styled Lt. Col. Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam and 11 isurgents of the Kangle Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) along with arms and ammunition.
As reported by ThePrint, due to the backlash from the Meira Paibis, the forces were compelled to release the group. The police registered a case against “unknown identified persons,” but no arrests were made.
“More than 1,200 women surrounded the targeted area and impeded the operation. The search, based on specific intelligence, led to the seizure of arms, but no arrests could be made as the women drove the forces away,” a second source from the security establishment said.
“In most cases where operations are planned, these women’s groups receive advance tip-offs, allowing them to block roads and hinder the movement of forces. The police and forces are forced to return empty-handed,” the source disclosed. “Their confidence is bolstered by the fact that no action is taken against them.”
Intensive intel-based ops, arrests — need of the hour
The need of the hour, the source said, is “intensive intelligence-based operations” where kingpins are arrested and booked under stringent sections of law.
Merely relying on “peace talks” and “appeals” would be a superficial attempt to address the issue, the source said.
“The weapons have gone out from police armouries, which is a grave offence and requires decisive action. Appeals and peace talks will not resolve this problem. What is needed is the active involvement of all stakeholders and the implementation of strategic operations conducted by competent forces,” the source said.
“Ultimately, the success of these efforts hinges on the commitment and determination demonstrated by the political authorities involved, which in this case appears to be missing.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Police commandos, militants driving Kuki-Meitei violence? In Manipur, accusations fly