Sometimes just one incident acts like the straw that breaks the back of an overloaded camel. Such an incident carries in itself the sheer force of an unimaginable impact that creates the momentum for a nation to finely move its rulers to take decisive action.
India has finally woken up to the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur after seeing a two and a half-month-old video of two Kuki women being paraded naked and harassed in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Meitei lady. Millions of Indians who are now aware of the ongoing killing and demanding answers from the government are unable to find Manipur on a map.
On July 19, 2023, a video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a crowd of about a thousand people went viral on Twitter. The event happened on May 4, 2023, following the spread of false reports of the rape and murder of a Meitei lady. Two men and three women from the Kuki community were allegedly stopped from leaving their violent neighbourhood by a Meitei mob, according to the police complaint. After forcing the ladies to strip off their clothing and killing both males, one of the women was savagely gang-raped.
One of the victims claimed that the police were also complicit because they were the ones who turned the ladies over to the mob. Only after the video became viral, some months after the event, did the police make the first arrest in the case. Due to potential disturbances to law and order, the authorities ordered Twitter to remove the video, but it went viral and triggered nationwide protests.
This ‘Napalm Girl of the Vietnam War’ incident might prove to be a turning point in the war. Text can only be a weak emotional trigger; images can be considerably stronger. The government may act more swiftly and aggressively if they consider the possible electoral cost of having millions of Indians furious about the video.
The Supreme Court issued a statement shortly after the video went viral, threatening to get involved if the government doesn’t do something. After being silent for around 80 days since the commencement of the violence, the event led Prime Minister Modi to comment, who declared that his heart is “full of pain and anger” when the video went viral. Many others made the observation that the state’s internet outage contributed to the incident’s cover-up.
It’s not like the Narendra Modi administration has ignored the situation entirely. Along with the CRPF, RAF, and BSF, the Union Home Ministry has dispatched a wave of centrally armed police personnel to Manipur. According to reports, the Army and the Assam Rifles have so far sent out 147 columns. One of the largest deployments of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles to assist civil authorities may be happening here.
Over 9,000 individuals have been relocated to secure locations, and approximately 54,488 have been displaced. Meitei and Kuki delegates make up the peace committee, which has been established. But it is now time to take more definite action in addition to these steps. To deal with lawbreakers, the federal and state troops must have unrestricted authority. Orders to shoot at sight must be expanded.
It is essential to get rid of the militants and violent leaders in both groups. Many of them also control a large drug enterprise, especially in the Kuki-dominated highlands. To eradicate the Manipur drug mafia, the State must go to war. Violence supported by drugs will falter. According to some unverified rumours, the area also receives a consistent supply of mercenary soldiers and high-tech weaponry from outside. The attack and destruction of that supply chain are required.
The government may also think about telling social media sites to halt the spread of provocative films and false information. Claims that the two ladies were afterwards gang-raped were made in conjunction with the recent footage of them being exhibited naked. The ladies, however, are quoted in older accounts of the same occurrence as disputing that they were raped. If this is the case, who is trying to spread this savagery, and why?
The government has to establish more peace committees that include representatives from all relevant stakeholder groups and convene well-meaning local leaders.
Meitei’s version of the history claims that they have been Manipur’s indigenous inhabitants for more than 2,000 years, and must be granted the Scheduled Tribe designation that they desire. Despite making up 53% of the population, according to the most recent estimate, they can only purchase 6% of the land in Manipur. The Congress continued to grant tribal reserves to hill settlements with a high concentration of Christians while ignoring the Meitei population in the plains.
On the other hand, it is all tribes against the Meitei because they claim that Meiteis are predominantly Hindus and thus are being supported by the RSS-backed BJP which is why this whole affair began in the first place.
The situation is multilateral and its consequences are far-reaching if not handled with extreme care and intelligence with considerable input from all the stakeholders.
