Manipur: More Violence; ‘AFSPA' Reimposed
Asia News Agency
The Centre Thursday reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa), which gives unbridled power to the armed forces operating in designated disturbed areas to search, arrest and shoot, in six police station jurisdictions in Manipur following a spike in ethnic violence in the state.
The move is aimed at enabling security forces to conduct coordinated operations and restore order in these areas while countering the activities of “insurgent groups”.
Latest flareup - killing of 10 suspected Kuki-Zo militants
The reimposition of the Act follows Monday’s flare-up, particularly in Jiribam district where security forces killed 10 suspected Kuki-Zo militants in a clash after they allegedly attacked a police station, a relief camp and a CRPF post.
Following the incident, six Meitei relief camp inmates were reported missing, sparking tension and protests in Imphal Valley. There is still no news about their whereabouts.
The decision to deploy additional forces and reimpose Afspa, writes The Telegraph “reflects the grave ground realities, which was evident from the ministry of home affairs’ notification."
Afspa was first introduced in Manipur in 1958 when it was called the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Ordinance.
Disconnect between the Centre and the local people
Manipur has been unravelling for the past year and a half, and The Tribune writes “there is little reason to hope that things will improve anytime soon. There has been a fresh escalation of violence, with farmers working in paddy fields being targeted by snipers on hilltops…..More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis since May last year. The ‘double-engine’ government has miserably failed to restore peace and public order. Nevertheless, Chief Minister N Biren Singh continues to be in the saddle, with the BJP high command stubbornly persisting with him.”
Leaving Manipur to fend for itself can be perilous for the security of the entire North-East: The Centre’s attempts to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table have been fruitless. There is a huge disconnect between the Union Government and the local people, whose concerns and aspirations remain unaddressed. Two of its contentious decisions, according to The Tribune “fencing the India-Myanmar border and scrapping the Free Movement Regime — have been staunchly opposed by several tribal organisations in Manipur. They have cited a threat to the social, cultural and economic ties between tribal communities living on both sides of the border, but the Centre seems to be in no mood to do a rethink. This intransigence has further alienated residents of the strife-torn state. Leaving Manipur to fend for itself can be perilous for the security of the entire North-East, which has been battling insurgency for decades.”
The path to peace: identities need not be rigidly static
Pradip Phanjoubam (editor, Imphal Review of Arts and Politics) recalls the situations series as the ethnic feud between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur is now approaching the two-year mark. But there is still no resolution in sight. “Both the state and the Central governments seem content to watch and wait for the warring parties to lose steam and suspend hostilities out of fatigue.”
This may very well happen, “but it will lead to what in International Relations is referred to as a ‘frozen conflict’. Another ethnic conflict in Manipur, between Nagas and Kukis, had ended this way. The danger is that overt hostilities may cease but their undercurrents will continue to tick on like time bombs.
“….Perhaps the resolution of many an ethnic conflict in the Northeast, such as the one in Manipur, lies in the realisation that identities need not be rigidly static.”
