One year of Manipur and administrative negligence
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Today is a day when every person who believes in the concept of India and wants its cultural diversity and social unity to survive will bow down in shame. Last year on May 3rd, the terrible ethnic violence started in the small state of Manipur in the north-eastern corner of the country. It all started when the administration sided with one faction instead of addressing and resolving the mistrust that had arisen between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the state regarding the sharing of resources. The armed clashes took place after the All Tribal Students' Union held a peace march against the Manipur High Court's order in favor of the demand of the socially and economically advanced Meitei community for Scheduled Tribe status. Homes, businesses and places of worship were searched and destroyed, and an estimated 77 Kukis and 10 Meiteis were killed in one week. A year passed by for Manipur was one of tears and losses, the smell of gunpowder and blood. The official estimate is that more than 220 people were killed and more than 60,000 people were made refugees in their country of birth. 4786 houses and 386 churches were destroyed. Unofficial estimates are much higher.
From the beginning of rioting and looting, the state government and the police under the leadership of Biren Singh have stood with the Meitei community and have kept the coals burning for one full day of the year. Today, the anniversary of the riots, is being observed as Kuki Martyrs' Day and People's Resurrection Day, while Meiteis have declared it as a day of remembrance for the violence unleashed by 'illegal immigrants' with the support of drug-terrorists. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum has called for black flags to be raised in Kuki's homes and closure of commercial and business establishments. The looting of military arsenals set up to protect the lives and property of the people of the country and using them to fire at the citizens can be termed as terrible terrorism. However, no sincere action was taken by the government to suppress the planners and operators of these massacres. The central government, which is eager to intrude in the states ruled by the opposition parties, violating all federal norms, did not even listen to the state government, which was badly damaged in maintaining law and order. The fact that Biren Singh, who has been accused by the victimized masses of behaving with malice, is the chief minister today is the biggest proof of that. Churches and educational institutions have been destroyed by the aggressors who roam undisciplined like heroes.
Despite the unequal sexual violence against women, it was not an issue for the state. It was only when the shocking scenes of women being stripped naked in public after the most heinous tortures came out that many of the government elites were ready to admit that atrocities had been committed against women. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited 66 countries 75 times during his last tenure, did not even once go to the riot-hit Manipur to bring relief and bring tears to their eyes. This approach calls out how much concern the Prime Minister has for this northeastern state and the security of its people, who has flown to various places in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Bengal to inaugurate bridges, roads and trains before the elections. Even when two words were uttered very late in the face of protests from all quarters against the dishonorable and unjust silence, there was no way to comfort the oppressed people of Manipur. Those who have ruled the country in the past have made a lot of efforts to adopt the beliefs of a society that was separated from the Indian mainstream due to social and historical reasons and to keep them together. Every mistake made by the central and state governments in handling the Manipur riots was to undermine those beliefs and efforts and create a favorable environment for anti-national forces. Don't forget that if they don't get it right at this late stage, the entire country will have to pay an unimaginable fine.
