THE NAGA REPUBLIC NEWS & ANALYSIS
Swarajya, described as an Indian right-wing monthly print magazine and news portal, has come out openly in support of beleaguered Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh and instead targeted the Union Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a stirring news report published on September 9, 2024 and written by its Northeast expert Jaideep Mazumdar, it was pointed out that the Union Government — more specifically, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — has been in charge of the law and order machinery in strife-torn Manipur for the past 16 months.
“And it has failed miserably in its task, as the recent resurgence of violence in the state amply demonstrates”.
The tone and timing of the publication appears to be an indirect and subtle criticism of not only Union Home Minister Amit Shah but also Prime Minister Modi.
While some will be surprised at the candor and hard-hitting nature of the publication, which ‘reports favourably on the Bharatiya Janata Party, many will also see this as a ‘welcome change’ that is required, to reflect and to undertake a mid-course correction on the Manipur situation that continues to drift without a resolution.
According to the report on the Swarajya , “immediately after ethnic clashes…broke out in the state on 3 May, the MHA stepped in and divested the state’s democratically-elected Chief Minister, Nongthombam Biren Singh, of crucial powers in handling the law and order machinery in the state”.
The report claims that the MHA foisted a former director general (DG) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Kuldeip Singh, as the security advisor to the state and made him the chairman of the ‘unified command’ comprising the state police, army and central security forces deployed in the state.
That, effectively, placed control of the entire security apparatus of the state in the hands of the former CRPF chief who also brought in a Tripura cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Rajiv Singh, and made him the new police chief of the state.
Rajiv Singh, according to the report was, at that time, serving as the inspector general (IG) of CRPF and “had zero experience or knowledge of the complex state of Manipur’.
Chief Minister Biren Singh, rendered toothless by the Union government, has since then had very little control over the state’s own police force, leave aside the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the CRPF and BSF (Border Security Force) that are deployed in the state, the report goes on to state.
“But this arrangement has failed to yield results. The twin objectives set by the MHA — ending ethnic violence in the state and bridging the divide between the Meiteis and Kukis — has not been achieved”.
The Swarajya report goes on to state that there is deepening mistrust and divide between the Meiteis and Kukis and also the interlocutors appointed by the MHA failed to get credible representatives of the two warring communities to sit together for a meaningful dialogue that could have ended the ethnic violence.
The report goes on to allege that the Kuki “terror groups” used this lull in violence “to gather expertise in handling sophisticated weapons that they have received from their sister outfits in Myanmar”.
“The Kuki terror outfits of Manipur have gained in strength only because the Union government has failed to jettison the faulty policy (a legacy of the earlier Congress regimes) of arming and training these outfits and using them as a counter against Naga and Meitei militant groups”.
Making some strong allegation, the report goes to the extent by stating that “the Assam Rifles, in particular, was closely involved in this task of propping up and then using the Kuki terror outfits to counter Naga and Meitei militants”.
It was alleged that the Assam Rifles, which was tasked with guarding the India-Myanmar border, “looked the other way as tens of thousands of illegal Kuki-Chin immigrants entered Manipur from Myanmar”.
“The demographic change brought about by the illegal Kuki-Chin immigrants has complicated the already complex ethnic balance in the state”.
The report also dwells into the Suspension of Operations (SOO) agreement and its rationale pointing out that earlier last year, the Biren Singh government unilaterally revoked the SOO agreement, but the Union government did not do so.
“The Kuki terror outfits, thus, continue to enjoy the covert patronage of the Assam Rifles”, it was alleged and pointing out that this “covert patronage” has led to widespread resentment against and distrust of the central forces among Meiteis.
“The recent escalation in violence and the widening gulf between the two warring communities reflects a complete failure of whatever strategies that have been framed and implemented by the MHA in tackling the volatile situation in Manipur”.
Taking away control of the law and order machinery from the democratically-elected Chief Minister of the state and placing it in the hands of a retired IPS officer who is not answerable to the long-suffering people of the state has clearly not worked, it was stated.
The report suggests that it is high time the Union government realises its mistake and does what is right: return control of the law and order machinery to the Chief Minister and make him the chairman of the unified command.
“The Union government should also allow the state government full freedom to tackle the situation and place all central forces deployed in Manipur under the command of the Chief Minister, as is the norm in the rest of the country”.
The report concludes by saying that the “MHA can no longer afford to meddle directly in the state, especially since those meddling in Manipur’s affairs from faraway New Delhi have little knowledge of the complex ground realities in the state”.
For full unedited report follow the link below
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