Invisible hand fuelling violence in Manipur, says former chief justice of Manipur HC

Security personnel deployed to maintain law and order amid curfew imposed in view of recent violence in Manipur. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Former Chief Justice of Manipur High Court Siddharth Mridul on Tuesday (December 24, 2024) said that there seems to be an “invisible hand” behind the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur. He said that whenever the situation appears to return to normalcy, someone injects a fresh dose of violence.

“Whose hand is it is not clear to me yet. There could be a number of factors at play,” Justice Mridul said, adding that even with 60,000 boots on the ground, the government is unable to restore law and order. Asserting that peace and normalcy must return to Manipur, he pointed out, “If we wait for conflict fatigue to settle in, there will be nothing left to protect.”

Justice Mridul was speaking at a panel discussion ‘Understanding the Barriers of Northeast India and Manipur Violence: The Way Forward’, organised by TMP Manipur, Meitei Alliance and Manipur International Youth Centre. Manipur has been affected by ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and the Meitei people since May 3, 2023. More than 250 people have been killed and more than 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

Flagging hyper inflation and soaring unemployment in the State, Justice Mridul, who retired on November 21, said, “Every time I flew back to Imphal from Delhi, I used to carry vegetables with me. Besides the jobs with the government and the universities, there is no employment in the valley. There is no demand, there is surge pricing everywhere. The only way to reach the valley is to be airdropped, [only a] handful of flights operating from Delhi for Imphal.”

He suggested that the internally displaced persons from both the communities be provided security to go back to their homes. “I have visited relief camps; the constant refrain I hear is that we want to go back home. Is that too much to ask the powers that be that every individual who is residing in these relief camps be returned to their homes and be accorded protection not only for their lives but also for their property and livelihood. There are approximately 60,000 people in relief camps. We have more than 60,000 boots on the ground, and we were to even consider the outrageous idea of protecting each individual, it would be suffice,” he said.

He said he hoped that the Manipur violence is not part of a grand design to destabilise the Northeast region. 

Arambam Noni, Associate Professor, DM University, Imphal, said that institutions were losing legitimacy due to perception politics.

Another speaker highlighted that due to the conflict, Manipur’s economy has taken a backseat and it may take up to 30 years to reach pre-May 2023 level.

“Most public schools have been converted to relief centres and youths have taken up arms to protect lives and territory. National Highways, the lifeline of States, have been closed since the violence began. This directly impacts transport and communication sector resulting in sky rocket prices of commodities. The inflation is 100%. Poor are most affected. As highways are shut, everyone in valley is dependent on airports to commute. There has been around 400% hike in airfares for Manipur flights. The two communities are still at loggerheads. The Manipur conflict sometimes appears to have been capitalised and politicised by certain elements, they like to keep the pot boiling,” said professor M Amarjit Singh, Jamia Millia Islamia University.