ON THE CURRENT TURMOIL IN MANIPUR – WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO: NEFIS

The following paper is a detailed examination of the current turmoil in the North-East in its historical context. It has been prepared by a team of activists from different communities of the North-East and is intended for wider discussion and dissemination.  

First released on June 1, 2023 by North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)

At present, there is an unprecedented social conflict raging in Manipur. The violence has affected all communities in the state. Over 100 people have been killed, 50,000 people are currently in more than 300 refugee camps and lacs have been displaced. Religious places, granaries, and homes belonging to the common people, especially those from the minority tribal communities have been burned. The minority community has a strong feeling of being persecuted. In reality, the lives and livelihoods of the labouring poor across communities have been lost. It is the women of all communities who have been the most vulnerable. To instigate conflicts among communities, fake news, and rumours were peddled by the communal groups which later became the pretext for the alleged lynchings and rapes of women. Miscreants and communal groups have conveniently sought revenge for incidents of violence faced by their respective communities by targeting and punishing those who are unconnected to the acts of violence for which ‘retribution’ is sought. A vicious, never-ending cycle of vengeful violence continues to erupt with the failure of the state to act against such miscreants.

The state government has failed to ensure peace and its actions have served to further pit the communities against each other. The mainstream Indian media largely ignored the events unfolding in Manipur. Sadly, the central government disregarded the gravity of the turmoil in the state. While the state was gripped by the crisis, the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister remained busy in electioneering. They addressed multiple rallies in the election-bound Karnataka, and even after the end of election campaigning, did not take concrete steps to address the crisis. The new Parliament Complex, supposed to be a symbol of democracy, was inaugurated in late May even as Manipur burned and the democratic structure in the state lay in shambles; a result of the anti-minority policies adopted in recent years by the BJP governments at the centre and in the state.

Amid the present crisis, there have been claims and counter-claims of various communities. A lot of people have died across community lines, and the majority of the common people across communities are grieved by the turmoil and wish to have peace brought in the state at the earliest. Unfortunately, tied to community attachments, the ability of a section of people to empathize with the general suffering has been numbed. Emotions are running high and are open to misuse. Community chauvinism, at present, is very intense. While we easily recognize the chauvinism of the other community so as to dismiss its genuine claims, we tend to evade the issue of chauvinism within one’s own community. Amid the prevailing turmoil, it is our pressing task to put all our endeavours to rebuild humanity and march forward towards justice and peace. The current moment beckons us to penetrate behind the smokescreen of claims and counter-claims to see the real aims of the government and the larger scheme behind the current crisis. The state government, instead of heeding the issues of the minority community, has succeeded in carving an anti-minority community feeling in the state’s majority community, Meitei/Meetei/Meithei community. The Kuki-Zomi-Chin tribal groups who mostly reside in the hills are being portrayed as encroachers, poppy growers, and illegal immigrants. This portrayal is not just directed towards a particular community but carries larger aims, the acquisition of the forests for various perceived and unperceived benefits to the Indian state and capitalists.

Manipur is part of the frontier region of India which is referred to as the North-East. Colonial and subsequent Indian state’s control over the local communities had far-reaching ramifications for both the internal and external dynamics. The colonial control meant that conflicts among and within local communities ceased to remain merely local. The ruling establishment forced them to mould their disputes, reactions, and claims in terms of emerging larger economic scenario and international strategic considerations. By drawing arbitrary regional and international boundaries, the erstwhile British Empire fractured this zone permanently, thereby gradually rendering economic and cultural ties forged through centuries of interactions untenable. Colonial economic pattern gradually imposed itself by integrating this area with the world economy. This is how the North-East in general and Manipur, in particular, was drawn into the vortex of the modern capitalist system. This incorporation of the North-East into the larger political and economic frame has fed the vicious cycle of underdevelopment in the region eventually leading to an intensification of unequal distribution of wealth and development within and among communities. In recent decades, the trend of expropriation of resources controlled by local communities has intensified. This is reflected in the fanfare with which the ‘Look East policy’ (now Act East policy) has been unveiled by the Indian state. It is now eyeing the immense potential for hydro-electricity, new mineral reserves and the possibility of developing commerce ties with ASEAN countries. This development should also be seen in the context of the rivalry between India and China to develop ties with South-East Asian countries.

The present efforts of the Union government and state government in Manipur to dominate the hills are to use the hills area for larger strategic design and to acquire forests rich in minerals and other resources for the corporate houses. Ruling elites at the helm of the affairs are keenly aware of the staunch resistance movements of common people and the existence of a long history of insurgency in the region. The success of the present endeavour of the ruling elites to dominate the hills is dependent on exploiting differences among the communities through divisive politics and garnering acceptance for its aims in the majority community. Thus, the state government has fallen back on the chauvinist forces amongst the majority Meitei community to legitimize its actions. Against this backdrop, it becomes imperative for all the progressive and democratic forces of different communities to understand the contours of the present crisis and to prepare the people for the task of justice for all, which alone can ensure the possibility of a lasting peace. The present study is an attempt to explore the issues related to the current crisis in Manipur in the most objective possible manner so as to transform the wider public opinion prevailing in the state.

Source: kafila.online