Delay in restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur

Oinam Nabakishore Singh
Any reasonable person should ask himself a question: why the State of Manipur is still bogged down in conflict and mistrust. Who is responsible to extricate the State from the present state of mess it is in. One and all will point his finger to the Government of India, which rules the State under Article 356 of the Constitution of India–President’s Rule since the 13th February, 2025. It may be fair to assign credit to the Governor of Manipur and his team of officers for getting some illegal arms surrendered, and rendering the armed groups on both sides of the divide relatively incapable of launching attacks on the opposite side.
The warring groups too withdrew from their respective bunkers. In the absence of any visible orders and efforts from the authorities, lull and drop in assaults on each other could be attributed largely to war fatigue.
Incompetence of the popular Government of N Biren Singh as Chief Minister from the date of commencement of violence between the Kukis and Meiteis on the 3rd May, 2025 till his resignation on the 9th February, 2025 was in full public view. Some legislators openly laid blames at the door of the Chief Minister for the conflict and his mishandling of the situation. Opposition leaders, a few Civil Society Organizations and some BJP legislators demanded resignation of Shri N Biren Singh. Many Kuki CSO too demanded his resignation as they see him as the architect of the assault on their people. Recognizing the need to save some face and to save BJP from a possible embarrassment in the event of no-confidence motion on the floor of Manipur State Legislative Assembly, Central leadership of BJP decided to step in and impose PR after dismissing the popularly elected Government. When all efforts by the BJP North-East coordinator, Dr Sambit Patra for three days from 9-12th February, 2025, failed to bring consensus on the leadership of the next BJP Govt, President’s Rule had to be imposed by citing that popular Government failed to carry on governance in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India.
Expectation to restore normalcy and peace in Manipur by the Central Govt remains unfulfilled in the last ten months after invoking President’s Rule in Manipur. After a series of negotiations, demand for extension of Suspension of Operation with twenty-five armed groups of Kuki-Zo groups, which remained suspended since the 29th February, 2024, was conceded by the Union Govt. Such concession was seen by the Meitei groups as a gesture of appeasement of the Kukis and a bottleneck in the efforts to restore peace.
Perception of the popular Government led by N Biren Singh and State Assembly of Manipur as reflected in the resolution to scrap the SoO with Kuki-Zo militants is that armed militants with arms in their hands have been spearheading the conflict. Perception of the Union Government based on intelligence inputs especially military intelligence is that SoO is necessary for National security. Though not clearly spelt out, many Meitei based CSOs voiced that Kuki-Zo armed militants are being used by the Central security forces to counterbalance other armed militants of Meiteis and Nagas, who are sources of headache for the Union Govt.
The way the Union Government is handling the conflict in Manipur leaves a lot to be desired. From the speech of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in Parliament it is more than evident that the conflict between Kuki and Meitei has been seen as inter-tribe conflict fueled by their tradition and legacy. That perception of the Union Government was validated by citing previous conflicts in Manipur between Kukis and Nagas, Kukis and Paites, and a short-lived conflict between Meitei and Meitei Pangals. It is noticed that no serious efforts have been made by both the popular Govt of Manipur and Union Govt in the past nearly three years. The suffering of internally displaced people due to the conflict has not been correctly understood by the concerned authorities. It is nothing short of apathy.
No urgency has been exhibited by the concerned leaders of the Government to address the complex issues of Manipur. The people of Manipur without any power in their hands are rendered helpless in the ongoing conflict. They are only waiting for the day when pre-conflict situation to return to their State.
There is no problem in the world, which does not have solution. What is required is correct appre- ciation of the situation and sincere efforts by people in position of power with responsibility. While trying to find solution to such a complex situation like the one in Manipur, one should not forget that competing interests of many stakeholders are at work.
Those interests may stall any attempt to find the solution as the latter will be against the interest. Finding a middle path through reconciliation and dialogue have been the accepted process in any conflict. Compromise and concession are also pre-requisites in such negotiations. As everything is in the court of the Union Government, the pertinent question to be posed to the Union Government is: Are you on the job of finding a solution to the conflict in Manipur in a time-bound manner? The writer is former Chief Secretary of Manipur Govt and a retired IAS officer.