Manipur is burning in the fire of hatred for 16 months, why is the violence not stopping?

Manipur is burning in the fire of violence. News of looting, murders and unrest are common in this state located in the Northeast. The period of violence started in Manipur from May 3, 2023. But even after 16 months, peace has not been restored in the state. The latest case is from Jiribam district, where 5 people died in the latest violence on Saturday. The seriousness of the situation in Manipur can be gauged from the fact that both the communities involved in the violence there now have weapons that are usually used in war. The army is so helpless that they have had to deploy anti-drone systems. People have built bunkers in the mountains and valleys. In such a situation, the question arises that why is the violence not stopping in this state even after 16 months?

Modern weapons increased concern

Although the situation in Manipur has been tense since May last year, the situation was under control for the last few months. But now the situation has worsened after the use of drones for aerial bombardment, RPG and ultra-modern weapons. During the search after the latest attack, the police found many modern weapons including 7.62 mm sniper rifle, pistol, improvised long range mortar (Pompey), improvised short range mortar, grenades, hand grenades.

At the same time, the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has issued a strong ultimatum, demanding immediate and decisive action from the Indian Armed Forces to resolve the ongoing crisis in Manipur.

5 day ultimatum

The committee has set a five-day deadline for the forces to deal with the situation, warning that failure to act would lead to harsh measures being taken by the people to protect their population. The committee has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the way the central forces have handled the situation, especially their handling of the Kuki insurgent groups. In its ultimatum, COCOMI has called for either a strong crackdown on these insurgent groups or the withdrawal of central forces from Manipur.

Why is the violence not stopping?

The most important question is why the violence in Manipur is not stopping? There are many reasons for this. In simple terms, this entire fight is between two ethnic groups, Kuki and Meitei. Most of the Meitei community people live in the valley while the Kuki community people live in the mountains. After the violence, these two communities have almost stopped visiting each other’s places. This separation is also a big reason for the violence not stopping.

Due to the different locations of both, the entire area has turned into a border. According to the report, both have built safe bunkers for themselves. Both have a large amount of weapons. Due to which, whenever they get a chance, they attack each other and then hide in the bunker. Due to the valley and hills, it is difficult to stop them.

Also read: Public emergency, drone-grenade attacks and weapons on every shoulder… ground report from Manipur on the latest violence

Where did so many weapons come from?

The question is that from where did both the communities get such a large number of weapons. The weapons that are being used in the violence are usually used in war or are used by soldiers. In fact, in the past few days, there were reports of weapons being looted from many police stations including those of army personnel posted in Manipur. Officials had said that a large quantity of modern weapons had been looted.

At the same time, the second allegation is of supply of illegal weapons. Many leaders and experts including the Chief Minister of the state have expressed concern over this. It is alleged that illegal weapons are being supplied to Manipur from neighboring countries, which is fuelling violence.

Why is the army helpless?

Thousands of soldiers, paramilitary and police forces have been deployed in Manipur to stop the violence. But they too seem helpless in stopping this violence. The reason for this can be said to be lack of mutual coordination. Recently it was seen that people also expressed their displeasure over the deployment of soldiers. At the same time, the state police also seems to be divided into camps.

CM Biren Singh is also on target

While Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh is on the target of the opposition, he has also been accused of bias. Actually, Chief Minister N Biren Singh belongs to the Meitei community. Meitei is also politically influential in Manipur. In such a situation, there have been allegations that CM Biren Singh has a soft corner for the people of the Meitei community. Recently, many BJP leaders were also targeted in the violence. CM Biren Singh was also accused in the latest violence case. It was said that violence broke out after his alleged audio was leaked. In this alleged viral audio, there were talks of CM Biren Singh’s involvement in the violence.

More than 200 people have died so far

More than 200 people have been killed in Manipur since ethnic violence broke out following the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ held in the hill districts on May 3 last year in protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community. The Meitei people constitute about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and they mostly live in the Imphal valley, while the tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 percent and mainly live in the hill districts. Due to this violence, thousands of people are forced to live in relief camps.