Time for Imphal to assert its position Still groping in the dark
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It is more than obvious. Even after more than three years of the violence erupting in all its ugliness on May 3, 2023, Delhi is still groping in the dark on how to deal with it. Law and order is a State subject but there is a reason why fingers need to be pointed at Delhi. After May 3, 2023 it is not at all clear on who is in charge. Is it the Union Home Minister or the first among equals of the elected representatives of Manipur ? What exactly is the status of the Security Advisor ? Is he still in charge of the Unified Command as Chairman or is it now the Chief Minister ? Does the line, ‘you look after the valley, I will look after the hills‘, a line reported to have been conveyed by the Union Home Minister to the then Chief Minister N Biren Singh during a meeting at Delhi, shortly after Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023, still stand ? More importantly what exactly is the status of the State Government ? Has Article 355 of the Consti- tution of India been imposed on Manipur and if it is so is this still in force ? Does the Chief Minister or the State Government have any say in appointing the Chief Secretary or the DGP ? The very fact that these questions have been raised should be obvious to all and the common thread that runs through all these questions is the silence of Delhi and Imphal on these crucial questions. It has been days since the rocket propelled grenade killed two sleeping children inside their own house at Tronglaobi and it has been days too since two Tangkhul passengers were killed while proceeding towards Ukhrul from Imphal side. Of the 18 Naga people abducted at Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district on May 13, the remains of six Naga men were found in a mutilated state on June 10. Till today, the Government has not bothered to name the exact spot where the remains were unearthed. The remains were recovered only after 14 Kuki hostages were released on June 9. Both sides, meaning the Kukis and the Nagas, resorted to taking hostages from either side following the killing of three Thadou Church leaders on May 13. And in all these cases, meaning in the abduction and release of the Kuki men as well as the discovery of the remains of the slaughtered Naga men, no one knows what efforts the State Government put in to resolve the issue. Protests and questions followed the two incidents, but till now there has been no tangible answer from the State Government. Why is this so and this is one reason why questions have been raised on where the Government of Manipur actually stands at the moment. A case of Delhi controlling everything, while pushing the State Government to face all the uncomfortable questions ?
These are not comfortable questions but the days since the evening of May 3, 2023 more than suggest that the wings of the State Government appear to have been clipped considerably. One can understand the situation under which Imphal finds itself in, but there should be certain areas in which it can assert itself. What was expected was for the Government to go all out to at least name the group which was responsible for the TM Kasom ambush which killed two Tangkhul men. Here was a case which had all the potential to drag in the Naga community which had so far remained neutral and was not at all involved in the madness that had gripped the State since 2023. Add the abduction and later slaughter of the six Naga men, whose mortal remains were recovered only on June 10 and here is yet another instance in which the State Government should have asserted its authority and gone all out to nab the killers. Instead what one sees is some Central security personnel conducting some search operations and dismantling some bunkers at Leilon Vaiphei village, the place where the six Naga men were taken away from, as well as at Konsakhul, the native place of the late six Naga men. Cases where the State Government was found totally sidelined. Isn’t it time for Imphal to assert its authority and say enough is enough ? Aren’t the security forces here to assist the State Government in the maintenance of law and order ? Imphal should buck up.
These are not comfortable questions but the days since the evening of May 3, 2023 more than suggest that the wings of the State Government appear to have been clipped considerably. One can understand the situation under which Imphal finds itself in, but there should be certain areas in which it can assert itself. What was expected was for the Government to go all out to at least name the group which was responsible for the TM Kasom ambush which killed two Tangkhul men. Here was a case which had all the potential to drag in the Naga community which had so far remained neutral and was not at all involved in the madness that had gripped the State since 2023. Add the abduction and later slaughter of the six Naga men, whose mortal remains were recovered only on June 10 and here is yet another instance in which the State Government should have asserted its authority and gone all out to nab the killers. Instead what one sees is some Central security personnel conducting some search operations and dismantling some bunkers at Leilon Vaiphei village, the place where the six Naga men were taken away from, as well as at Konsakhul, the native place of the late six Naga men. Cases where the State Government was found totally sidelined. Isn’t it time for Imphal to assert its authority and say enough is enough ? Aren’t the security forces here to assist the State Government in the maintenance of law and order ? Imphal should buck up.