Unified command in focus as fresh spate of violence hits Manipur
Of the 60 MLAs in Manipur, 10 are from the Kuki-Zo communities who have demanded a separate administration for their people in areas where they are in majority.
Accompanied by 18 legislators including ministers and assembly Speaker T Satyabrata Singh, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Sunday to hand over a memorandum listing several demands including handing over authority of the unified command to the state government. It was the second meeting between Singh and Acharya in two days.
The development came amid a recent spurt in incidents of violence in the state, which has witnessed ethnic clashes between the Meiteis, who are a majority in the Imphal Valley, and the tribal Kuki-Zo communities that are dominant in a few neighbouring hill districts, since May last year.
The recent violence has claimed at least nine lives (from both communities) and left 25 injured taking the death toll since the start of clashes 16 months ago to 235. But unlike previous incidents, the recent ones were different as the unidentified attackers used drones to drop bombs and deployed rocket-propelled guns to launch indigenously developed missiles.
While the list of all the demands made by Singh is yet to be made public, people aware of the development said that the CM said that handing over the unified command to the state government was necessary to quell the violence.
The CM’s demand does not have the support of all the 31 MLAs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as several legislators who are unhappy with Singh’s handling of the crisis, and had even suggested in the past removing him, were conspicuous by their absence during the meeting.
A day after the memorandum was handed over, hundreds of students in uniform came out in Imphal, Thoubal and Kakching districts to support Singh’s demand for the uniform command. In Imphal, hundreds surrounded the Raj Bhawan and were dispersed by the police following incidents of stone pelting.
Amid allegations by the Kukis that the state government was biased in favour of Meiteis, the unified command for Manipur, which comprises 12 key administrative and security officials, was formed on May 31 last year to bring peace and introduce measures to counter the ongoing violence.
At present the unified command, which oversees operations by personnel from Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force stationed in Manipur, is headed by retired CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh, who was appointed by Centre as security advisor to the state government in May 2023.
The CM’s demand for the transfer of the unified command was welcomed by some while others questioned the timing and the motive behind the move.
“The demand of CM Singh asking for handing over of the unified command to the state government is a fake drama to distract people from the failure of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Manipur to resolve this crisis. It’s been 15 months since the unified command was formed. What was the CM doing all this time while people kept getting killed?” questioned K Meghachandra, president of Congress’s Manipur unit.
He termed handing over control of the unified command to an official appointed by the Centre as a violation of the Constitution as law and order is a state subject.
Questing the timing of the demand, he said: “Maybe there’s some pressure on the CM to resign for his failure to end the violence. Significantly, not all BJP MLAs seem to support the demand, which shows differences within the ruling party. The same party has governments at the Centre and Manipur. What’s the need for this political drama now?”
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribe in Manipur, issued a statement on Monday, rejecting the demand, and instead asking for Singh’s immediate removal and for an investigation into his alleged role in the attacks against Kukis.
"The demand for (handing over the authority of) unified command is not about restoring law and order but rather consolidating the CM's iron grip over security forces," said KIM while reiterating its demand to create a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in areas where they are in majority.
Of the 60 MLAs in Manipur 10 are from the Kuki-Zo communities including seven from the BJP. These MLAs have opposed Singh from the start of the conflict and demanded the creation of a separate administration for their people in areas of the state where they are in the majority. Not surprisingly, Singh’s memorandum didn’t find favour with them.
“The memorandum seems like the CM’s way of threatening the Centre at a time when the BJP leadership appears to be unhappy with his handling of the crisis and contemplating either imposing President’s Rule or keeping the assembly in suspended animation. He’s trying to show that he is indispensable and instigating his supporters to portray that on the streets,” said Paolienlal Haokip, a Kuki MLA from BJP.
He added that the latest move from the CM could be an attempt to distract from the leaked audio tape controversy reported last month. According to the reports, which first appeared in The Wire, the commission of inquiry set up by the union home ministry was provided with a 48-minute long audio tape where Singh is allegedly heard making claims about his partisan role in the violence.
The recording, which went viral on social media, was allegedly made at the CM’s official residence. The Manipur government has termed the tape as fake and said it was released on social media to disrupt the ongoing “peace process”.
“The memorandum move could be to take the attention away from the audio tape, the contents of which are damning. We oppose the demand to hand over the authority of the unified command to the state government. If the Centre agrees to the demand, it will imply that Singh is being given a free hand to annihilate the Kukis,” said Haokip.
The CM’s demand has supporters too, especially in the Imphal Valley where demonstrations are taking place demanding the Centre agree to the move. There’s a feeling among them that handing over the unified command to the state government could be a way to rein in the violence and usher in peace.
“It is clear the present unified command headed by Kuldiep Singh has failed miserably. Despite the presence of so many security personnel on the ground, they have not been able to control the Kuki militants who in recent days have intensified attacks on Meiteis, using drones and missiles. If the unified command is not handed over to the state government, more violence will take place in the coming days,” said Jeetendra Ningomba, former coordinator of COCOMI (Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity), the state’s apex Meitei body.
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