A curfew is in force in two districts of the Indian state of Manipur and a ban on movement in another district. Internet services have been suspended in five districts.
Police said that while there was no fresh violence on Wednesday, intermittent clashes between student protesters and security forces continued throughout the day on Tuesday, continuing into the night.
Y Rupachandra Singh, Secretary General of Editors Guild of Manipur and senior journalist, said that gunshots were heard in Imphal till Tuesday night. The agitating students protested by burning tires in many places. They also had minor clashes with the security forces at several places. However, many types of fake videos are spreading on social media, and fake news is also spreading. For example, people have taken to the streets to demand freedom. No independence was demanded in Manipur. Rather, Meitei and Kuki – both groups are in a kind of competition to see who can fly the Indian national flag the most.
Manipur Police Intelligence Division IG K Kabib said in a press conference on Wednesday that there have been many protests in the Imphal Valley in the last 24 hours. The protests in Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kakching and Imphal West were largely peaceful. However, protesters turned violent in some areas of Imphal West.
Kabib said violent methods including guns were used in the protests in Kakoa Bazar area. Petrol bombs were also thrown at a protest in Uripak region. 10 police personnel were injured in that incident. Many of the protesters were students. But among those who were injured or captured, there were several provocateurs. They are not residents of the concerned area.
A joint flag march by state and central forces is underway after curfew was imposed on Tuesday, and traffic is sparse on the roads of capital Imphal.
The violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which started in May last year, has been on hold for the past several months. But from early September violence started again. According to media reports, at least 10 people have died in the last 10 days. Among the dead is a retired army officer.
An audio tape was leaked twice last month before renewed violence began in early September. It is claimed that a conversation allegedly between Chief Minister N Biren Singh was leaked there. First an organization of cookies and then a national level English news portal leaked the audio.
A few Kuki MLAs of the ruling BJP, and various organizations of the Kuki community have alleged, based on leaked audio conversations, that the clash between the Meitei and the Kukis since last year was actually the brainchild of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. It was he who attacked the Kukis and started carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’, it was heard in the leaked audio tape, which the Kukis believed to be the Chief Minister’s voice.
However, the state government reacted very strongly to the leaked conversations.
They said a section was trying to incite communal violence through the ‘fake’ audio tape. The police have started an investigation against the people involved in this ‘conspiracy’ and strict action will be taken against all the persons and institutions involved.
However, the entire conversation has been submitted to the Justice Lamba Commission of Inquiry for formal investigation, the cookie organizations said. The inquiry commission formed by the central government has been looking into the cause of violence in Manipur since May last year.
The violence since early September has included drone bombings.
Also, senior journalist Rupachandra Singh was saying that a type of missile or rocket made in indigenous technology has also been used locally.
He said, a journalist of my organization witnessed the bombing using drones. The first time the bomb was being dropped from the drone, he warned the people present and asked them to move quickly. But he himself was injured in the next attack. The use of drones for bomb attacks was seen for the first time in Manipur.
The security forces also say that this is the first time that bombs have been dropped from drones not only in Manipur, but in the whole of India.
BSF is one of the central security forces that are responsible for maintaining law and order in Manipur.
According to Surjit Singh Guleria, a retired Border Guard officer, we have never seen such an attack in India. However, the insurgents in Myanmar, near Manipur, continue to bomb regularly from drones. They often use this method to attack the Myanmar army. And we also know that Kuki armed groups have camps in Myanmar, from where they regularly bring equipment.
Guleria said, there are many gaps in the border between Manipur and Myanmar. Cheap Chinese-made drones are readily available in Myanmar. The drones used in Manipur are the same type of drones. So it should not be difficult to understand where this technology has been brought from. We are not surprised at all.
In addition to drone bombings, indigenously developed missiles or rockets have been used in recent violence.
Senior journalist Rupachandra Singh was saying, these missiles made in indigenous technology are called Pompey here. It has also been used in the violence of Emmaus.
Pompe, however, is a corruption of the root word ‘bompi’. The ‘bomb’ part in Bumpy is Bomba and the P stands for big, big bomb.
But now the word has changed to Pompey. These are purely locally made mortar and rocket type bombs. These weapons of indigenous technology are very easily available in Manipur. Its use has been seen before.
A Kuki college professor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said drone bombings or indigenous missiles have been used in recent violence, but there has been no investigation into whether they were launched from Kuki-dominated areas. In this way, what can be said for sure that those weapons were thrown by cookies?
The political science professor’s counter question, violence, bombings etc. are being talked about. Attacks are coming from Kuki territory, it is also said. But just before that a conversation of the Chief Minister was leaked, I am not seeing special publicity in the national media!
Although it is not 100% sure whether the voice of the Chief Minister in the leaked conversation or not, but did not this violence start again by turning away from the leaked conversation?
A human rights activist from Manipur, who is currently out of Manipur due to security reasons, said that the leak of the audio tape must have embarrassed the Chief Minister. And that’s when the violence started, the human rights activist said.
The human rights activist also requested anonymity.
According to the human rights activist, if you notice how the area where the drones have been bombarded for two consecutive days is very close to the headquarters of the Army’s 57 Mountain Division, even though the area is directly under the command of 22 Assam Rifles. From where the drone was flown, that place could not be specifically identified for two days?
People are raising this big question. Again, the rocket attack took place for about six hours. Why the security forces could not catch anyone? If they were done, people would not go to the streets to protest! People think that they are completely unprotected.
Senior journalist Y Rupachandra Singh, however, feels that the latest violence is not due to any one reason.
According to him, the leaked audio conversations, the protests demanding the Chief Minister’s resignation and then the renewed violence – all these are related to each other. So it cannot be said that there was a renewed violence due to any one reason. Along with it, there are issues of spreading fake information, fake videos and wrong news. But not all that fake news or videos are being spread, there are also true stories. No one thing should be seen in isolation.
But no one can say for sure when this violence will stop.
Rupachandra Singh was saying that the chief minister had given a deadline that peace would be established within six months. But then new violence started.
Again, in the words of the professor of Kuki people, it is difficult to say when this will stop.
Retired BSF officer Surjit Singh Guleria feels that this problem will not be solved by security forces alone. If peace is to be established in Manipur, its solution must be found at the political and social level.
