Manipur continues to suffer

The Manipur government’s decision to reimpose the ban on internet services within 48 hours of restoring it shows the complexity of the situation in the state and the government’s continuing failure to handle it. The government had introduced a blanket internet ban on May 3 when a Kuki protest took place that triggered violence and unrest in the succeeding weeks and months. It is the longest internet ban in the country after the two-year ban in Kashmir. The government said two days ago that it had decided to lift the ban because the “law and order situation has improved in the state”. This was a misreading not only of the situation but also of the impact of the ban. Instead of improving the situation, the ban had actually contributed to its worsening. When free flow of information is blocked, rumours and wrong information start circulating which can lead to trouble and disruption of peace. The incident in which two Kuki women were paraded naked and molested happened as a reaction to an unfounded rumour, and the country did not get to know of these horrors for weeks. 

Incidents of violence and disruption of peace keep happening in the state. The internet ban was reintroduced on Tuesday after a large demonstration of students protesting the reported death of two youths. There is mistrust between the Meitei and the Kuki and the two communities are almost completely segregated. There is no social interaction between them. The alienation is so complete that there are buffer zones between the areas inhabited by them manned, not always with success, by security forces. Civil society groups have been radicalised and have become militant. Groups and organisations of Meitei women have taken to the streets and even resorted to violence. They have confronted security forces, especially the Assam Rifles. Attempts are made for release of persons arrested by the security forces for violence and criminal acts. 

A divide has also been created between the central forces and the state police. The state police, the administration, and the government of N Biren Singh have identified themselves with the Meitei community and have lost the trust of the Kuki community. The Kukis have demanded a separate administrative zone for themselves. The government has continued to take actions that show its bias in favour of the Meitei and insensitivity to Kuki sentiments and demands. There is no active intervention by the central government, which continues its support to the state government. There is no chance of peace in the state unless the estranged communities interact, divisions are bridged and wounds are healed. But there is no effort towards this, and the state government does not have the moral and political credentials to make it happen.