In divided Manipur, disturbing questions

Manipur throws up disturbing questions from both sides, which is why an answer from just one perspective can only make the situation worse.

Whilst I applaud the alacrity with which the central government sent a special CBI team to Manipur to investigate the killing of two Meitei students and the speed with which they allegedly cracked the case, it’s worth considering a few questions that could complicate matters. No doubt, some are raised by the Kuki community but that shouldn’t be surprising. I certainly don’t think that invalidates them.

The ethnic violence between dominant Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur has since May left at least 175 dead. (PTI)

First, the CBI is investigating 11 cases. So, you could ask why has a special team flown to Imphal to investigate two Meitei deaths when nothing similar has happened to investigate the rape and killing of two Kuki women at a car wash, the beheading of David Theik or the killing of a young boy and his mother when their ambulance was burnt to cinders. If you’re a Kuki, wouldn’t this seem like special treatment?

The second question is equally important. The special CBI team led by Ajay Bhatnagar reached Imphal on the evening of September 27. Yet four days later they made the arrests. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum asks: “If the CBI can act with such swiftness why has it not arrested anyone in (other) heinous cases?”

The Kuki Inpi, which calls itself the “apex body of the Kuki tribes”, asks a more pointed question: “When arrests are made on grounds of suspicion against the Kuki-Zo community, why are the culprits of the barbaric beheading, mutilation, rape and immolation against the Kuki-Zo people not apprehended in the same manner?”

However, it’s not just questions raised by the Kuki that are worth pondering over. There are also issues that arise out of chief minister (CM) Biren Singh’s comments. After the CBI arrests, he tweeted: “I’m pleased to share that some of the main culprits responsible for the abduction and murder of the students have been arrested from Churachandpur today.” But on what basis has he called them culprits when they’re only accused? And could this adversely influence their chances in court?

Not surprisingly, this hasn’t gone down a bundle with the Kuki. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum has articulated a concern that no doubt, has occurred to many others. “It seems that the central government is trying to save the chief minister from the Meitei community’s wrath by coming down hard on hapless tribals, including women.”

So, now, can you see why I’ve drawn your attention to these questions? In this instance, how things appear in Imphal is very different to how they look when seen from Churachandpur. Surely, after five months, both ministers and mandarins in Delhi should have known this. Yet that hasn’t restrained them. That leads to another question: I wonder why?

Let me end by raising a different but connected matter. This is how the CM now views his state: “The current crisis in Manipur is not a clash between ethnic groups and not a law and order issue of the state but purely a war against the Indian Union by Myanmar and Bangladesh-based Kuki militants in collaboration with militant groups operating in Manipur.” This raises more questions. Is this view shared by New Delhi? If it is, has this matter been raised with Naypyidaw and Dhaka?

No doubt, if questioned, the CM would point to the arrest of Seiminlun Gangte, a Kuki, alleged by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to be a member of a militant group from across the border. But days earlier, Moirangthem Anand Singh, a Meitei and a member of the banned People’s Liberation Army, was also arrested by the NIA. This suggests militant groups connected with both communities and based in Myanmar and Bangladesh have crept back and are fuelling the Kuki-Meitei discord. Why is the CM only talking about one side? Again, this is a disturbing question.

My conclusion: Manipur throws up disturbing questions from both sides, which is why an answer from just one perspective can only make the situation worse. I hope this piece has helped you understand why.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story. The views expressed are personal