After a three-month voluntary silence and away from the frustrations, which an impotent and corrupt Government gifts you with, leaving the peace loving and law-abiding citizens in a state of helplessness, I am back, wielding the pen, for whatever it is worth, availing of my right to free expression, though I have long ceased to believe that in a fascist regime, the ‘pen is mightier than the sword’.
Several years back, an advocate, speaking to a group of activists, regretted that they were extremely vocal in criticizing the legislature and the executive, while they would not dare censure the courts for fear of ‘contempt’. Judges are not infallible. Understandably, faulty judgments can be caused by human errors or misinterpretations of law, but sometimes judges being biased and compromised, deliver wrong judgments. Higher courts often reverse decisions of lower courts, thus proving that they were wrong. Though our only hope is the judiciary, not always are even higher courts beyond reproach. Another remark made by the lawyer was that courts were guilty of not taking suo motu notice of serious issues, though they very much merited their attention.
In Manipur, the violence was triggered by an order of the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court directing the State Government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of Meitei community in the Schedule Tribe list. This order was flawed, as the Constitution Bench of Supreme Court had, in two earlier judgments, decided that the issue of inclusion or exclusion of any tribe from the list is of the competence of the Parliament, the Central & State Governments and the courts had no role to play. Further, some legal experts are of the view that since this decision affected the Kuki tribe in Manipur, the latter ought to have been heard in the matter, which did not happen.
Since Independence, there haven’t been demands from the Meiteis for inclusion in the ST list. Moreover, they are neither impoverished nor backward, in any sense, to deserve the privilege. They would also never accept being labelled as ‘backward’. The Kukis occupy major part of the land in Manipur, mainly the forest areas, but the Meiteis are in majority and economically and politically, the dominant community, owning most of the developed land in the State. While the Meiteis seek the same privileges provided to the Kukis, under their protected tribal status, the latter fear that the Meiteis’ new status would expand their economic dominance and entitle them to purchase forest land, which hitherto, they couldn’t.
The protest called by the Students Union, turned violent and from then on, Manipur has been on the boil. What aggravated the violence was the arming of Meiteis with the robbery of arms, machine guns and ammunition from police stations and training camps, where no resistance was offered by the security personnel. Reports reveal that police armoury in Manipur is empty and some in the mob even handed over their Aadhar cards to the security personnel- their ethnic kinsfolk – with the assurance of returning the weapons, after the fight was over.
Since early May, Manipur’s largely Hindu Meitei community, constituting little over 50% of State’s population, and the Christian-majority Kuki tribe, which makes up about 16 % of the population, have attacked each other violently in an outpouring of recrimination and revenge. It is reported that over100 Kukis and 25 Meiteis were killed, hundreds injured and around 70,000 people were displaced. Mobs and armed vigilantes have burnt down dozens of villages, hundreds of homes, churches, and offices.
The Chief Minister of the State Biren Singh has been charged by his own BJP MLAs of being anti-Kuki. Instead of taking an impartial attitude and winning the trust of the people, his Government has stoked ethnic divides with policy decisions that affect Kuki forest rights and with unfair allusions to the tribe as ‘outsiders’, ‘migrants’ and ‘poppy cultivators’.
It is shameful that a strong country like India, cannot bring one of its States’ violence under control, even in months. It does not, because it does not want, as it hopes to draw sympathy from the majority community, which is incidentally also well entrenched in the local administration.
FIRs are hardly registered and only few assailants have been arrested, with recovery of stolen armament being very slow. In such a situation, return to normalcy may not happen soon. In any other State, not ruled by BJP, where the law and order situation is as bad, there would have been vociferous demands for imposition of President’s Rule, but as we know, in this so-called largest democracy, not only laws apply differently to BJP ruled States but also and especially to those who undergo a purification exercise through the BJP ‘washing machine’, as we have seen in Goa & Maharashtra.
Instead of adopting measures that would ensure peace and the security of all the communities, the Manipur Government has replicated the national party’s politically motivated divisive policies of divide and rule, in the hope that this would bring the Meitei community together to vote in bulk for the party.
The Home Minister, busy perhaps with pre and post poll tactics in Karnataka, found time to visit Manipur, only 20 days after the violence started. But, surely more shocking is that the PM has not said a word about the situation in Manipur, not even appealed for peace, as if nothing had happened. French President Macron recently cancelled his official visit to Germany due to violence in France. But for our PM, official visits to USA and France and dinners at White House & at Champs Elysees are more important than bringing violence to a halt, at home. PM’s silence only confirms the firm belief that he opts to remain mum when minorities are the target.
The communal flare up and Government’s inaction in Manipur must not alarm us, but while praying for peace, let us remain vigilant and avoid stoking communal divides, even when provocations arise, for we do know what the consequences could be, when might is right.
(The author is a retired Banker)