Mounting rage in Manipur

By Laishram Nandalal Singh

( May 24, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Under relentless siege, Meiteis believe Thuingaleng Muivah’s visit will destroy the territorial integrity of Manipur while Kukis are haunted by still-fresh memories of massacres by NSCN (I-M) militants. The State Government has smelled a chance to play the populist card

Many find the Manipur Government and people’s vehement opposition to the itinerary of Mr Thuingaleng Muivah, the 74-year-old NSCN (I-M) leader, as irrational and unacceptable. As a citizen of India, Mr Muivah has a right to move freely throughout the country’s territory as guaranteed by Article 19(d) (Fundamental Rights) of the Indian Constitution and he may well choose to visit his birthplace Somdal after over 40 years.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which gave permission for Mr Muivah’s visit, on the other hand, has attracted widespread criticism for its failure to bring the Congress Government in Manipur to agree to the same. The MHA has drawn flak from other quarters for its lack of sensitivity as it ignored democratic and federalist principles of the Constitution by not consulting the Manipur Government on this account.

With the Manipur Government sticking to its guns, Mr Muivah’s refusal to postpone his visit has triggered unprecedented crisis for the people. Protesting the State Government’s stand, NSCN (I-M)’s frontal organisations have imposed an indefinite blockade on national highways 39 and 53 — lifeline of Manipur — triggering a severe food crisis. People in Imphal have declared a counter-blockade.

The cause of this stalemate is widespread apprehension among communities in the region that the Government of India may opt for reorganisation of States to appease the NSCN (I-M) which is demanding unification of Naga-inhabited areas. The Centre and NSCN (I-M) are unable to remove this apprehension as both parties have displayed inconsistencies in their statements issued from time to time. The progress of dialogue has also not been made public even after 13 years of peace process. The Union Government’s failure to accommodate parties affected by the NSCN (I-M)’s activities in the peace process has contributed to the uneasy situation.

Mr Muivah is the general secretary of NSCN (I-M) and the Ato Kilonser (Prime Minister) of the so-called ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim’. He was born at Somdal village in Ukhrul district of Manipur and received his early education in the State. He belongs to the Tangkhul community of Manipur. Mr Muivah did his graduation from St Anthony College, Shillong, and his masters in political science in 1964 from Guwahati University. He joined Naga National Council led by AZ Phizo in 1965 and was made general secretary of the rebel group. The NNC signed Shillong Accord with the Government of India in 1975. However, the National Assembly convened by Mr Muivah in August 1976 rejected the peace accord as the ‘work of traitors’. After a series of fierce showdowns in NNC, the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) was formed under the leadership of Mr Isak Chishi Swu, Mr Khaplang and Mr Muivah, as chairman, vice-chairman and general secretary, respectively, with the slogan of ‘Nagaland for Christ’.

It split into two groups in 1988 — one led by Mr Isak Chishi Swu and Mr Muivah, known as NSCN (I-M) and the other, NSCN (K), led by Mr Khaplang.

Many observers of the North-East situation feel that Mr Muivah’s visit is a political ploy to foil the Manipur Government’s plan to conduct Autonomous District Council elections in two phases on May 17 and 24. It was reported that while some districts, particularly the Kuki-Chin-Mizo group-settled areas, want to hold elections, Naga-inhabited areas are opposed to it. An analyst writes “…who knows if he (Muivah) intended to use this sentimental visit as a political gimmick to reinvigorate the moribund Naga movement?”

The Meiteis insist that Mr Muivah’s visit aims to hurt the territorial integrity of the State. They oppose NSCN’s demand of 70 per cent area of Manipur leaving only about 6,000 sq km for the State. The United Committee Manipur has even declared that if the visit is aimed at extending ceasefire coverage to Manipur under the vision of uniting Naga inhabited areas of Manipur under a single administrative unit, there is no question of remaining a silent spectator.

As a part of its strategy to claim the hill districts of Manipur’s Naga-dominated areas, NSCN (I-M) deliberately committed ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Kukis in the 1990s, which claimed more than 900 lives. During that NSCN (I-M) operation, more than 350 Kuki villages were allegedly uprooted and 1,00,000 Kukis turned refugees. It is hard for the Kukis to forget these incidents. Various Kuki civil society groups have been demanding prosecution of Mr Muivah at the UN’s War Crimes Tribunal for his campaign against the Kukis from the 1960s till the mid-1990s.

Though a ceasefire agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN (I-M) came into effect on August 1, 1997, it is operational only in Nagaland State. When the Government of India and NSCN (I-M) inserted the clause of ‘without territorial limit’ in the 1997 ceasefire extension agreement in June 2001, there was a mass uprising in Manipur. A month-long anti-ceasefire agitation directed against the Centre and NSCN (I-M) led to loss of 18 lives and destruction of public properties and Government buildings, including the Manipur Assembly. The incident is still fresh in the minds of Manipur Government leaders.

Militants of NSCN (I-M) have continued their activities of extortion, abduction of Government officials and killing of innocent civilians. The senseless murder of three officials, including Thingnam Kishan, Sub-Divisional Officer of Kasom Khullen in Ukhrul district, on February 17, 2010, is a glaring example of their brutality. They were abducted from Naga Hundung Gate and their bodies were found at Taphou Kuki village. It is widely believed that the NSCN (I-M)’s motive was to trigger a pogrom by instigating communal tensions between Meiteis and Kukis. Following widespread protests, the NSCN (I-M) owned up to the killings.

Moreover, the Manipur Government has reportedly argued that as per Article 246, law and order is a State subject and it has every right to take steps to pre-empt disturbances in the law and order situation. It is feared that Mr Muivah’s visit may trigger a pogrom in Manipur which is the traditional home of Meiteis, Manipuri Muslims, Nagas and Kuki-Chin people. The Manipur Government reportedly expressed surprise over the Government of India’s permission of addressing a political meeting to a militant leader.

The administration of the Okram Ibobi Singh-led Government has been paralysed for more than three months following ceasework by State Government employees demanding implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The Government has become very unpopular due to skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and failure to deliver justice in the fake encounter killings of Sanjit and Rabina at Khwairamband Bazaar.

So Mr Muivah’s bid to visit his native place has given a golden opportunity to the Government to divert the concerns of the agitating employees and the people as well as gain lost ground.