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The fresh violence in Manipur that killed two persons and injured several others seems to have caught the attention of the nation once again. The Kuki-Zo militants reportedly used drones to carry out their latest attacks, raising alarms among the civilians, the government and the security personnel as well. While the use of drones points to a dangerous escalation in the conflict that has crippled the state for more than a year now, people familiar with the ethnic crisis may see fresh attacks coming. Why? The fact is that the core grievances of both the warring communities continue to remain unaddressed despite talks about a possible resolution and call made by Chief Minister N Biren Singh for peace. Since May last year, Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have been confined to their respective jurisdictions. This applies to government employees too. Armed volunteers of both parties continue to guard their villages. Nobody can step into the areas dominated by the rival party. Such is the situation even today. This is why clashes between the “so called” volunteers armed with sophisticated weapons take place at regular intervals, killing both armed people and civilians. Indian security forces, too, have been caught in the crossfire on a few occasions. The ground situation is so fragile that it is like a ticking bomb that could burst any time by the slightest provocation. So, the fresh violence didn’t come as a surprise, though the use of drones is.
The inability of both the central and state armed forces to contain violence in Manipur is puzzling. In the wake of the May 3 violence last year, mobs looted thousands of arms and ammunition from the state police armouries, mainly located in the Imphal valley. Now, drones are being reportedly used to drop bombs. Isn’t this a failure on the part of the security forces and their intelligence department? Violence will continue until the looted sophisticated weapons are in the hands of miscreants and cross-border smuggling of weapons is not checked. Ignoring the possibilities of arm supplies from Myanmar-based groups can also prove costly. For the government, disarming various groups in the valley as well as the hills is the most tangible measure it can take to stop further violence in the state, though this is going to be a herculean task. Most importantly, the central and state governments should go beyond the deployment of security personnel and address the grievances with utmost sincerity. It is also baffling why Chief Minister Biren Singh has refused to step down, which he should have at least on moral grounds, if not for any other reason. The BJP-led central government’s inaction, despite calls for sacking the CM for his failure to control the violence, is equally baffling. Unfortunately, no light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. The situation could get even worse if there is spillover of Myanmar civil war into the state. Moreover, the patience of the public, including the neutral community – Nagas – is wearing thin amid prolonged disruption to their normal lives and economic activities. This is certainly not a good sign.