Editorial: Manipur’s wound is festering

Lucy Maring’s killing could as well be the tipping point forcing the Naga tribes in Manipur to take to arms for protection

July 15 could go down as Black Saturday in the annals of Manipur, not because of large-scale violence, but a single cold-blooded killing of Lucy Maring in the hands of a private militia. Lucy Maring belonged to one of the 20 Naga tribes living in Manipur, possibly the second largest community after Meiteis. She was allegedly executed by Arambai Tenggol after she was abducted in Imphal East. Following this execution, the United Naga Council called for a 12-hour shutdown in Manipur to protest the killing. Lucy’s killing cannot be dismissed as just another murder. It could as well be the tipping point forcing the Naga tribes in Manipur to take to arms for protection. Once drawn into the vortex of violence, none of the actors in the theatre of violence would find it easy to withdraw. If the Naga militant groups are forced to become, albeit, unwilling participants in the unbridled strife, the situation could spiral out of control. Notably, Lucy’s killing comes days after a warning by the NSCN(I-M) that no harm be done to Naga tribes in Manipur. Roughly, Naga tribes are in good numbers in four districts — Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong. Meanwhile, the United Naga Council, which called for a dawn-to-dusk shutdown, has not minced words in accusing the Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol of killing Lucy. Though it had not warned of retaliatory violence, it warned that “vested parties trying to drag us into conflict will not be spared” and that “our patience and accommodating acts in past should be taken as sign of weakness’. The Nagas have so far maintained that peace must prevail in Manipur, without getting drawn into the controversy.

The intriguing silence of the Union government on the Manipur scenario is inexplicable. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose silence, Home Minister Amit Shah did indeed visit Manipur. The BJP’s double standards are in sharp focus on Manipur. While it demanded President’s Rule in West Bengal where 15 people were killed, the party maintains a studied silence on Manipur where 150 were killed and thousands injured in ethnic violence. Conversely, the violence continues unabated. The Armed Forces find it difficult to operate and contain violence, as they are not facing just one faction or militant group. They have the unenviable task of confronting the heavily armed groups of Meiteis and Kukis. The Security Forces are undoubtedly handicapped by the absence of the Armed Forces Special Power Act in Manipur. It is currently in force only in Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. India can now ill-afford to let the internal strife continue, what with Khalistani separatist forces becoming active again. The Kashmir situation continues to be a cause for concern. Manipur’s wound is festering and with the violence between the Meiteis and Kukis going on uninhibited, the bloodshed could soon escalate to the level of a ‘civil war’. It’s time for India to act.

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