Reaching out to CCpur, Moreh, Kpi Governor on track
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Obvious that former Union Home Secretary and now Governor of Manipur Ajay Kumar Bhalla has the opportunity to write history, a sort of history that would go down as perhaps the first ever meaningful steps that Imphal has taken after May 3, 2023. Shortly after being sworn in as Governor of Manipur on January 4, 2025, the new man at the Raj Bhavan lost no time in reaching out to the Kuki-Zos with a visit to Churachandpur on January 7 and then Moreh on January 10. How far this would go in putting Manipur back on the track of normalcy is anyobody’s guess, but these visits were significant in the sense this was the first time that the man at the helm of affairs in Manipur had thought it fit to personally go to these two places. The choice of Churachandpur as the first place to visit was obvious, for it was at this place that violence first erupted on May 3, 2023 and then later spread to Moreh and Kangpokpi in quick succession. Imphal came into the scene of violence only late in the evening of May 3, 2023 after videos of gun toting Kuki militants marching with the mob to target Meitei houses at Torbung went viral on the social media. After Churachandpur and Moreh, the next destination was Kangpokpi which came about on February 22. In a span of a little over 30 days, the new man at Raj Bhavan has visited three important places, places where no Meitei has dared to set foot on since 2023. The details of the meeting that the Governor had with the civil society leaders at Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi are not very clear, but then details are details and no one expects all the nitty gritty to be spelt out for public consumption during such a critical phase in the history of the land and her people. What however stood out from the visit of the Governor to Churachandpur was his message to first let normalcy return and the other political points then can be discussed. Stop the violence and then demands can be discussed was the point in short which was laid bare by the Governor. This very line was a slap on the ‘Solution First, Peace Later’ slogan coined and used with much effect by the mischievously christened ‘Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum’ and ‘Committee on Tribal Unity.’ Pity it is that the ‘peace must come first and then solution’ line from the Governor was not capitalised upon by organisations which stand by the idea of Manipur for peace must be an important component of anything that has to do with the idea of Manipur.
From Churachandpur and Moreh to Kangpokpi and while it is not very clear what the response of the Governor was to the different memoranda that demanded a Separate Administration by way of setting up a Union Territory, it is significant to note that the first few steps have been taken. How the Governor negotiates his way between the demand for a Separate Administration and the call for a National Register of Citizens and to crack down on all illegal immigrants on the soil of Manipur remains to be seen, but it is clear that Raj Bhavan is more than ready to step out and reach out to people on either side of the clash divide. In Imphal too AK Bhalla has met representatives of the COCOMI and other organisations as well. Apart from the ‘peace must come first then solution’ it is not clear how the Governor has responded to the different points up before him. And true to his line conveyed at Churachandpur, the Governor seems intent on recovering illegal arms. The arms looted from the different police armouries in the early days of the clash definitely come under the understanding of ‘illegal arms’ but what about arms wielded by cadres of the SoO organisations ? How about the arms of SoO outfits deposited at the designated camps ? Are these arms still in the designated camps or have they been taken out ? And if these arms come outside the designated camps, don’t they come under the understanding of illegal arms ? How about arms from across the border ? Some answers here would be welcome.
From Churachandpur and Moreh to Kangpokpi and while it is not very clear what the response of the Governor was to the different memoranda that demanded a Separate Administration by way of setting up a Union Territory, it is significant to note that the first few steps have been taken. How the Governor negotiates his way between the demand for a Separate Administration and the call for a National Register of Citizens and to crack down on all illegal immigrants on the soil of Manipur remains to be seen, but it is clear that Raj Bhavan is more than ready to step out and reach out to people on either side of the clash divide. In Imphal too AK Bhalla has met representatives of the COCOMI and other organisations as well. Apart from the ‘peace must come first then solution’ it is not clear how the Governor has responded to the different points up before him. And true to his line conveyed at Churachandpur, the Governor seems intent on recovering illegal arms. The arms looted from the different police armouries in the early days of the clash definitely come under the understanding of ‘illegal arms’ but what about arms wielded by cadres of the SoO organisations ? How about the arms of SoO outfits deposited at the designated camps ? Are these arms still in the designated camps or have they been taken out ? And if these arms come outside the designated camps, don’t they come under the understanding of illegal arms ? How about arms from across the border ? Some answers here would be welcome.