New Delhi: Manipur violence that began on May 3 after the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur took out a protest march over the grant of Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the majority Meiteis turned violent, is showing no signs of respite and non-stop ethnic riots are destabilising the North East's regional security, said the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), based out of New Delhi, on Monday.
“At least 120 persons have been killed so far while around 70,000 people have been displaced including 50,698 people in relief camps in Manipur. So far, over 12,000 people fled to Mizoram, 3,000 people fled to Assam, and over 1,000 people took refuge to Meghalaya while thousands of the displaced have not sought shelter in relief camps", said Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG.
The Kukis, who have fled to other states have been facing opposition to settlement from local groups in Meghalaya. Though there appeared to be little improvement after some days, violence again returned to the state. The brief peace was shattered after the killing of 10 persons on 2 July. Now, there seems little possibility for the return of the majority of displaced persons to their original homes, he added.
“The destabilisation of the North East’s regional peace and security by the riots in Manipur is unprecedented in the history of the North East. As many as 3,000 civilians were armed, alleged looting of over 4,000 weapons and five lakhs (5,00,000) ammunitions took place", Chakma added.
There has not been any accountability for the looting of the arms and arming of the civilians. The administration's failure to enforce the Suspension of Operations agreements with 23 underground outfits since August 2008 and failure to bring the situation under control despite the imposition of Article 355 of the Constitution on 6 May are some glaring instances which are believed to have added fuel to the fire.
“The failure to bring the situation under control after the imposition of Article 355 of the Constitution on May 6 calls for the imposition of Article 356 of the Constitution to provide a government that is perceived as neutral. The current arrangement of Chief Minister Biren Singh supervising the security situation in the valley and the Ministry of Home Affairs supervising the situation in the hills only aggravated the wounds. The involvement of the insurgent groups of the Meiteis and the Kukis in the riots has the potential to spread the insurgency across the North Eastern region and destabilise the region", warned Chakma.
Chakma said the RRAG wants President’s rule, immediate measures to give a go-ahead to the peace process to be supervised by the Governor, effective rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced persons to their original habitats ensuring safety and security.
