Manipur CM N Biren Singh
Amid heightened tension between different communities in Manipur and Union Minister Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh expressing concerns on the growing influence of Kuki militants for precipitating demand for a Separate Administration, Chief Minister N Biren Singh admitted ‘State Government’s responsibility’ for the situation.
“When the Government tries to enforce law and order, such as the destruction of poppy cultivation, there’s always resistance and acceptance. And it is the duty of the Government to expedite the issue. So, the Government is responsible for the ongoing unrest,” the Chief Minister said, addressing an Anti-Terrorism Day function in Imphal on May 21.
On many ‘displaced’ people shifting to neighbouring Mizoram, the Chief Minister said it is “sad” to hear that the people of Manipur are leaving their own State.
He suggested the need for a joint initiative by the Government and missionaries to provide them with a safe location in Manipur. He also informed that the State Government is ready to pay the ticket fares
for their early return to Manipur.
He appealed to the public to take the issue as a consequence of the State Government’s failure to redress the grievances of certain sections and not as a communal issue.
“Please don’t blame one other. Blame the State Government,” the Chief Minister said.
On ten Kuki and Zo community MLAs pressing for their demand for a Separate Administration for tribals, the Chief Minister said — “We are still family”.
He claimed that the State has begun to return to normalcy, and adequate paramilitary forces have been deployed in vulnerable areas.
On May 21, a letter to PM Modi from BJP lawmaker and Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, gave a new twist to the ongoing debate on the Manipur violence and the fallout.
“From May 3 and for a few days there was complete chaos and trust vanished into thin air between the two communities – Meiteis and Kukis. In complete dismay and frustration, Kuki leaders including their
MLAs have started demanding a separate political administration for their people. Perhaps they are under tremendous pressure from various quarters including militants,” the letter said.
Importantly, he also wrote that when Manipur came under British control after the Anglo-Manipur war in 1891, the valley administration remained with Manipur’s king, and the hill administration remained with the president of the Manipur Darbar, who was invariably a British.
“A psychological gap was being created. After Independence, too, Article 371-C still made the barrier between the hills and the valley,” Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh opined.
The Union Minister maintained that the ‘Balkanisation’ of the State of Manipur should not be encouraged at any stage.
“This is a very dangerous proposition for a tiny State having 35 ethnic groups,” he said in reference to the demand for a new state for Kuki and other smaller tribals.
“Peaceful co-existence should be the norm. Naga-Kuki conflict, Meitei-Pangan (Muslim) clash and now Meitei-Kuki riot must be treated as aberrations. These should be curbed and controlled by a strong hand. No Balkanisation on ethnic lines should be encouraged at any cost,” the Minister said.
“A few activists are trying to bring in the religious angle that Meiteis are mostly Hindus and Kukis are Christians. They try to blame the people who are radicalised in the name of religion and culture. Burning of churches and temples is being cited to bring in a communal angle.
“This is untenable. Violent mobs burn and destroy everything on their way… It was impossible for the local police to control the rioters until the army and paramilitary forces arrived and intervened,” Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said in the letter.
Meanwhile, there was no let up in the overall situation in Manipur even as there was some improvement and people from different communities are now coming forward in a modest manner to help each other.
A children’s home in Churachandpur district in Manipur was shifted to Aizawl following violent clashes between Meiteis and Kuki and other Zo tribal communities in Manipur. “The children are extremely happy
and satisfied …and they are impressed by the peace and tranquility in Mizoram,” says Roslyn Kimbuang, one of the caregivers at the new makeshift arrangement made by the Aizawl Deputy Commissioner’s office.
The total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) due to massive violence in Manipur who have taken shelter in Mizoram rose to around 7,370 as on May 20.
A press statement from the PRO (Defence), Kohima (Nagaland) and Imphal stated that a series of security meets across Manipur, especially in the districts of Churachandpur, Bishenpur, KPI, Kakching and Imphal West in coordination with the civil administration and civil society organisations have resulted in people of all communities displaying their desire for peace.
Security Advisor to the Manipur Government, Kuldeep Singh, on May 20, said the police and other agencies of the Manipur Government conducted a surprise checking of ‘SoO camps’.
The Suspension of Operation (SoO) camps were set up after a temporary peace agreement last year. The camps belong to Kuki militant groups.
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