A top think tank of the Meitei community in Manipur has come out in support of students, who, it said, have been expressing “righteous indignation at the government’s abject failure to resolve the crisis afflicting the state”.
In a statement, the think tank ‘Taragi Cheishu’ whose advisers include filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma and noted playwright Ratan Thiyam, asked the government to acknowledge the “deep disenchantment of the people with their inability to resolve the crisis and act judiciously and ensure that the young protesters are not harmed and hurt.”
Hundreds of students had participated in a peaceful rally in the state capital Imphal on Tuesday. However, some elements allegedly infiltrated the students’ protest and created ruckus, leading to police action, sources had said.
The students gave a list of demands to the Governor, and raised concerns over what they said was the government’s inability to stop attacks from the hills. They cited the drone bomb and rocket attacks in the last one week.
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“… While we appeal for peace and tranquillity, we also express our dissatisfaction with how the government, both at the state and centre, have dealt with the 16-month-old crisis. Their incompetence and moral bankruptcy have put at stake the lives and well-being of the people, the multi-cultural identity and sadly, the future of the younger generation of the state,” ‘Taragi Cheishu’ said in the statement, without referring to any particular incident.
The state government, however, has come under severe criticism for what is being seen as a failure to stop military-style attacks from the hills on the valley using weaponised drones and crude rockets.
‘Taragi Cheishu’ also pointed at the abrupt internet blackout in the five valley districts of Manipur as “counter productive”, and that the focus should be on punishing those who misuse social media, instead of hitting the kill switch.
“Imposing curfew for so long with daytime relaxation is illogical and arbitrary. Section 163 of the BNSS (144 of old law CrPC) is the Brahmastra for maintenance of law and order, and must not be used if it is likely to be implemented improperly,” a senior member of the think tank told NDTV from Imphal.
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“… Take immediate action against those who spew hate, and not impose a blanket ban. The internet is bread and butter for many,” the member said, referring to the cataclysmic disruption in the lives of young people who are working or learning online from home, in a place where jobs and education have suffered the most.
The ruling BJP government headed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh reportedly asked the Centre for control of the joint command, which has been looking after the state’s security since ethnic violence began in May 2023.
There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.
The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.
