How long is Manipur burning? It is more than a month now. And it still continues to be seriously disturbed. The violence stops intermittently but comes back with new vigour and vehemence. In this fratricidal violence so far more than 130 people have died, hundreds of houses have been burnt and thousands of people have fled their homes looking for safer places.
It seems there is an atmosphere of overwhelming fear and uncertainty all over the state. While the state of Manipur is witnessing the worst-ever violence and disturbance the rest of India seems to be unconcerned and oblivion about it. The most surprising is the response of the central government.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not uttered a word about it so far. When the violence first started and spread, prime minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah were busy electioneering in Karnataka. Home Minister Shah visited the state only recently after a month of started the violence. This is most outrageous and uncalled for on the part of the central government. When all the time Modi government speaks of nationalism and national pride how can it be so indifferent to the plight of the people of a state? Or is it that there is a design in this indifference? Maybe this indifference is deliberate. Delhi wants us to fight among ourselves so that they can dominate us and continue their hegemony unhindered.
The violence in Manipur is the result of the conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis. It is a fratricidal civil war. The Meiteis are mostly in the plains and they are by and large Hindus. The Kukis mainly live in the hills and they are mostly Christians. The conflict and rift between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur have a long history and the causes are not that simple but nuanced. However, we cannot ignore the religious overtone of the conflict.
It has been alleged by the Kukis that the N Biren Singh government in Manipur is anti-Kukis. The Kukis have publicly stated that they don’t trust the Manipur government and its police. They are demanding a separate administration for the Kukis. But things are also getting mixed up. A Kuki militant outfit has claimed that in the last Assembly elections, it helped the BJP form the government. They say that this understanding with them was brokered by BJP leader Ram Madhav and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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This is no surprise in today’s time. The leaders play politics all the time and common people become the victims. One thing is clear and simple. The Kukis are tribals and they are only just 16% of the total population of Manipur whereas Meiteis with 53% of the population are a clear majority in the state. But that doesn’t stop the votaries of the majoritarian politics to spread fear among the Meiteis that they are facing an existential crisis because of the Kukis. So these tribal people are being brutalised and chased away from their homes. It is not that Meiteis have not suffered. They have also suffered where they are the minority.
But the most pertinent question is whether Manipur can survive when Meiteis and Kukis fight perennially. How can people live in an atmosphere of perennial violence and disturbance? The violence must stop. The state and the central government are fully responsible for not being able to stop and contain the violence. They have miserably failed in protecting the lives and property of both the affected communities. Now they must act and act with neutrality. The saner sections of people in both communities must also appeal for peace. They should restrain their youngsters from indulging in violence.
How come we, the people outside Manipur be so unperturbed while Manipur is burning? Aren’t the people of Manipur our fellow citizens? When they are in trouble should we not feel concerned about them? And should we not do something to ease their troubles? Perhaps we can do two things. First, we must appeal to both the communities, Meiteis and the Kukis to desist themselves from violence. Here is the majority community the Meiteis must take the first step which should be reciprocated by the Kukis. But we must also expose the inefficiency and inability of the state and central governments in bringing normality to the state of Manipur.
Nobody is more responsible for the lawlessness and anarchy in the state than the state and central governments. The state government must go and the president’s rule should be imposed immediately in the state. Peace and normality are the first priority for Manipur now. We must all work towards this. All other problems can wait and could be attended to later. The violence must stop and peace should return.