<p class="bodytext">Manipur has entered a terrible cycle of violence in a manner that has not been seen in the past, and grim warnings about the situation going out of control may be coming true. Ten suspected Kuki-Zo militants were killed by CRPF personnel on Monday. The incident was followed by the alleged abduction of six Meitei civilians, including women and children. There are charges and countercharges about the incidents. The Kukis have said that the 10 people were village volunteers who were killed in a fake encounter and the Meiteis have claimed that the Kukis were taking revenge. The Kukis’ alleged attack on the CRPF was itself a reaction to the killing of two women allegedly by the Meiteis. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the clashes that started in May last year. The fresh escalation of violence has belied all claims by the central and state governments that the situation is getting back to normal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court had, last year, remarked about “an absolute breakdown” of the state machinery. There is no law and order and the state cannot protect the lives and property of citizens. Manipur is now divided into Meitei and Kuki areas and it is only by risking their lives can members of both groups enter each other’s territory. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a Meitei, has pursued a pro-Meitei line and the Central government has persisted with him. The Centre has followed a policy of criminal indifference, leaving the state to its divisive forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state ever since the problems started and has wrongly claimed that the Centre and the Chief Minister have worked together to resolve the issues. Manipur has a long history of conflict and violence, based on a clash of identities, reservation, land rights, discriminatory government policies, and uneven development. All these divisions have become wider in the last few months. The state has strategic importance as it borders Bangladesh and Myanmar, and the ongoing crisis, if unresolved, can pose a threat to national security.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Kuki organisation has approached the Supreme Court demanding a court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged role of Biren Singh, as seen in some leaked video-tapes, in inciting ethnic violence. Some of the Kuki MLAs have stated that the Solicitor General had lied to the Supreme Court about Singh talking to them. There have been no efforts to bring the warring groups together and to listen to them. Only the Central government can take an initiative toward this but it has damaged its own standing and credibility with inaction and apparent partisanship.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Manipur has entered a terrible cycle of violence in a manner that has not been seen in the past, and grim warnings about the situation going out of control may be coming true. Ten suspected Kuki-Zo militants were killed by CRPF personnel on Monday. The incident was followed by the alleged abduction of six Meitei civilians, including women and children. There are charges and countercharges about the incidents. The Kukis have said that the 10 people were village volunteers who were killed in a fake encounter and the Meiteis have claimed that the Kukis were taking revenge. The Kukis’ alleged attack on the CRPF was itself a reaction to the killing of two women allegedly by the Meiteis. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the clashes that started in May last year. The fresh escalation of violence has belied all claims by the central and state governments that the situation is getting back to normal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court had, last year, remarked about “an absolute breakdown” of the state machinery. There is no law and order and the state cannot protect the lives and property of citizens. Manipur is now divided into Meitei and Kuki areas and it is only by risking their lives can members of both groups enter each other’s territory. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a Meitei, has pursued a pro-Meitei line and the Central government has persisted with him. The Centre has followed a policy of criminal indifference, leaving the state to its divisive forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state ever since the problems started and has wrongly claimed that the Centre and the Chief Minister have worked together to resolve the issues. Manipur has a long history of conflict and violence, based on a clash of identities, reservation, land rights, discriminatory government policies, and uneven development. All these divisions have become wider in the last few months. The state has strategic importance as it borders Bangladesh and Myanmar, and the ongoing crisis, if unresolved, can pose a threat to national security.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Kuki organisation has approached the Supreme Court demanding a court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged role of Biren Singh, as seen in some leaked video-tapes, in inciting ethnic violence. Some of the Kuki MLAs have stated that the Solicitor General had lied to the Supreme Court about Singh talking to them. There have been no efforts to bring the warring groups together and to listen to them. Only the Central government can take an initiative toward this but it has damaged its own standing and credibility with inaction and apparent partisanship.</p>
