Call For 'Operation Manipur' Grows Louder For Disarmament Of All Armed Groups

A call for peace through complete and unconditional disarmament of all armed groups in conflict-hit Manipur is gaining ground with civilians from every community calling for effective action. They say stability will never come to Manipur if some groups remain armed while others agree to put down their weapons. It would also expose those who do not agree to simultaneous disarmament irrespective of community and ethnicity, they say.

Manipur's three major communities - Meitei, Naga and Kuki - have armed groups that claim to speak on their community's behalf despite having no support from the current generation who want peace and progress. Most of the Meitei and Naga armed groups fought to break away from India. However, Kuki armed groups have been working to carve out their own territory within India and have clashed with armed groups of other communities in the process.

In recent times, civilians from every community have raised their voice with a huge risk to their lives against being held captive by the actions of ethnic armed groups that they do not want anywhere near them.

Taking note of their concerns, a Manipur BJP MLA who had in the past raised the need for disarmament of every single ethnic armed group irrespective of their community affiliation, has now written to the governor with a suggestion that "a comprehensive and time-bound security and stabilisation initiative" should be launched under the name 'Operation Manipur' to bring lasting peace in the state bordering Myanmar.

"Every citizen, irrespective of community, ethnicity or place of residence, deserves to live in safety and dignity under the protection of the law... The initiative should aim to systematically recover illegal arms and ammunition, dismantle unlawful armed networks, strengthen security in vulnerable areas and ensure effective action against those responsible for targeted killings and other serious crimes," three-time BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh said in a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

Three years ago ethnic violence began between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes settled in locations which have been designated as hill areas. That killed over 260 people.

Now, recent killings have been reported in clashes between the Naga and Kuki tribes. The two tribes had also fought in the early 1990s over land. Hundreds were killed then.

In his letter to the governor, Imo Singh said the people of Manipur have endured prolonged unrest, displacement, insecurity and immense hardship and so, restoring public confidence will require not only immediate responses to individual incidents but also a sustained commitment to preventing their recurrence.

"Security measures must go hand in hand with the safe rehabilitation of displaced families, the restoration of normal civic life and the protection of essential infrastructure. Above all, the rule of law must prevail, and no armed individual or group should be permitted to intimidate civilians or exercise authority outside the constitutional and legal framework," he said.

"... Firm action against unlawful armed activities must remain impartial and directed at those responsible, without discrimination on the basis of community, identity or affiliation," he said in the letter.

According to analysts, there is rising anger among the common people cutting across communities in Manipur over ethnic armed groups carrying out attacks in their community's name, despite the community's own people disowning them or wishing to get away from their deadly hold at gunpoint.

"Particular attention must be given to strict compliance with the Suspension of Operations (SoO) ground rules. I urge the competent authorities to take stringent and decisive measures against any armed groups or individuals found violating the terms of the SoO agreement," Imo Singh said.

"A consistent and impartial approach to recovering illegal arms, enforcing the SoO ground rules and protecting every citizen will be essential to restoring public confidence and ensuring that peace and normalcy become a lasting reality in Manipur," he said, referring to the highly controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement involving two dozen Kuki insurgent groups.

Broadly, under this agreement, the insurgents have to stay at designated camps and keep their firearms in locked storage, to be jointly monitored with the security forces. They cannot recruit fresh insurgents too.