Tentative Steps Towards Manipur Peace

Well over a month since violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, and with the situation spiralling out of control, a first positive step was taken by the convening of an all-party meeting by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Many Opposition parties aired their views while demanding that N Biren Singh be replaced as chief minister owing to his utter failure to bring the situation under control and allegedly adopting a partisan approach. The Centre was non-committal on the demand for Singh’s ouster but the home minister did agree to view all suggestions with an ‘open mind’. Now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned from his foreign tour, it is to be hoped that the Manipur situation will assume precedence in the government’s scheme of things. Modi’s complete silence on the issue was something the Opposition flagged as several delegations unsuccessfully sought an audience with him.

The violence in the sensitive Northeastern state has claimed over a hundred lives and displaced thousands. A recent disturbing trend is that unruly mobs are running riot, even making security forces yield to their demands. The forces, which have acted with admirable restraint, have pointed out that the ethnic dispute can only have a political solution and not a military one. The BJP’s famed double engine sarkar has so far failed to assuage sentiments and pacify the warring groups. The trouble began after a High Court order to the state government to recommend to the tribal affairs ministry that Scheduled Tribe status be accorded to the Meiteis. The largely Hindu community, which is in a majority in the plains of Manipur, constitutes about 53% of the state’s population. They are relatively better off and giving ST status to them understandably fuelled anger and fear among the predominantly Christian Kukis and Nagas, worried that their quota pie will be eaten into. The court directive triggered protests with thousands participating in a tribal solidarity march to oppose the demand for including the Meiteis in the ST list. The situation went out of control, leading to death and destruction. The ethnic faultlines which have always existed in the border state now appear to be beyond repair. The rift is gradually turning into a communal conflict as Hindutva elements among the Meiteis are gaining ground. Hundreds of churches in Manipur have been vandalised, putting paid to the BJP’s successful Northeastern outreach. In this atmosphere of mistrust and anxiety it is imperative that the Centre and the state government work to restore peace and calm.