Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on June 26 said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that the Centre would ensure the implementation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki insurgent groups in the hill areas. The pact requires the insurgent groups to remain in designated camps with weapons behind lock and key. The Chief Minister has alleged that the Kuki insurgent groups violated ground rules of the SoO pact and instigated violence.
“The Home Minister said the Centre will provide maximum support to implement ground rules applicable to SoO groups and also asked me to explain to the valley people to maintain peace,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu on Monday, a day after he met Mr. Shah in Delhi.
He said that out of the 10 hill districts, violence was reported only in three districts of Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Churachandpur and in three districts of the valley.
A defence source, however, said the SoO camps were regularly checked, and all weapons, except two were found to be intact during inspection in the past two months. Since May 3, ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities had claimed at least 131 lives and displaced around 60,000 people.
While the Army has been deployed in the hills, the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) is deployed in the buffer zones bordering the hills and the valley and Manipur police commandos are posted in the valley.
The source said the removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from valley districts was emerging as a challenge as Meitei insurgent groups launched attacks from denotified areas, making it difficult for the security forces to launch operations without taking the help of civil administration. Out of 92 police stations, the AFSPA has been removed from 19 police stations in seven districts, all in the valley. The disturbed area declaration under the AFSPA in Manipur (except the Imphal Municipality area) was in operation since 2004. Due to improved law and order situation, in April 2022, the AFSPA notification was removed from 15 police stations and from April 1, four more police stations were denotified.
2008 agreement
As many as 2,200 cadres of 24 Kuki insurgent groups signed a SoO pact with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Manipur government in 2008 to finalise a peace deal after the Kuki-Naga clashes in the 1990s when hundreds were killed. The militant groups demanded independent land for the Kukis.
The source said both Meitei and Kuki groups had weapons. Since May 3, when the ethnic violence started, over 4,000 weapons and lakhs of ammunition were given away or looted from police armoury.
While the SoO groups were under watch, the valley-based insurgent groups which entered from Myanmar were difficult to track, the source said, adding that there have been multiple incidents in the past when the Army had to withdraw from an area or release suspects in the wake of protests.
Citing the June 22 incident at N Boljang in Imphal West, the source said miscreants fired from the direction of Lamshang, which is a denotified area, attacked a village and when Assam Rifles personnel retaliated, they escaped to Imphal. The security forces could not chase the suspects without civil aid which led to precious waste of time.
On June 19, four suspected cadres of a banned insurgent group — the United National Liberation Front — who were apprehended by the Army at Lilong in Thoubal had to be released in the wake of protests by women-led groups. On May 24, 12 members of a banned extremist outfit detained by the Army had to be released as 1,200-strong women-led group surrounded the security forces in Imphal East, the Army said. “If the forces opened fire, civilians could have been killed. There have been incidents when locals have alleged excesses by the police force. The AFSPA would have given protection from such allegations as in the current situation, polarisation among the police is known,” said the source.
‘People’s movement’
A top government official, however, said there were no immediate plans to rethink on the jurisdiction of the AFSPA.
“This is a people’s movement; it is not an insurgency related issue. Security forces have enough room to operate,” said the official.
The defence source said, “How do you expect us to bring sustainable peace in Manipur without the flexibility to undertake operations on short notice at a place and time of own choosing?”
The law gives unbridled power to the armed forces and the CAPFs deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant and protection from prosecution and legal suits without the Central government’s sanction. The Manipur police said on Sunday they had destroyed 12 bunkers set up by civilians in Tamenglong, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, Kakching and Churachandpur districts.
