THE HINDU EDITORIAL

By
Anushka_Academy
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​Miles to go: On change in Manipur, the road to normalcy

The Union Government finally attempts change in Manipur, but faces hurdles

After months of trying to wade through an ethnic crisis by maintaining the status quo, the Union government finally got its act together and removed the N. Biren Singh-led government in Manipur from power and imposed President’s Rule, hoping that the change would be the harbinger of good tidings. The fact that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party could not manage to find a replacement for its outgoing leader reflected not just on the internal divisions within the party but also on the preponderance of the ethnic divide in the State. Considering this, the imposition of President’s Rule seemed to be a viable way of bringing back normalcy in a State suffering badly from ethnic strife. After the imposition of President’s Rule, the government has sought to gradually seize control over instruments of violence that seemed to reign with impunity in the last two years. It did so by giving a deadline to non-State groups to give up weapons that they had acquired from constabularies. It has tried to ensure free movement between the hill and valley districts by removing the blockades set up by these groups on highways in the State. These steps have not gone down smoothly. Only a portion — nearly a third — of the 3,000-odd weapons that are still missing have been returned, with the bulk of the missing weapons being those that were stolen in and around the Imphal Valley. The attempts made by the central armed police forces to enforce the free movement of all vehicles in the hill district of Kangpokpi resulted in violence with one killed and more than 40 people injured.

A civil society organisation claiming to represent the Kuki-Zo community has warned against the moves for the free movement of people by demanding Union Territory status or a separate arrangement for the Kuki-Zo areas as a precondition. This is a dangerous ploy as any such move will only deepen the ethnic strife and will also be resisted by the Naga communities, living in the hill districts of the State. The government must continue to seek talks with representatives of both communities while sternly rejecting any threat of violence and isolating those making impossible demands in order for peace to be restored. Steps need to be intensified to recover the remaining missing weapons and to thwart any entity seeking to take the law into its own hands. The government must put out the compelling message that only the State has the legitimate claim over arms, which must resonate across the hills and the valley. But this cannot be a step that is limited to the Governor. The Centre, more specifically, the Union Home Ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, must appeal directly to the communities for a restoration of peace, and for dialogue to help the displaced return to their homes. Data show that Manipur has suffered more than any State due to the recent inflation and economic woes in the country and it would take yeoman steps by the senior leadership of the Union Government to bring back normalcy.