Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders, says Manipur CM N. Biren Singh

Interview/ N. Biren Singh, chief minister, Manipur

Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day. His pet Chester―a French bulldog―oblivious to human conflicts, walks up to be petted by the many visitors thronging his residence during the Lok Sabha polls. Singh looks fatigued, but he has not given up. It is a litmus test for the Manipur chief minister who sits over a divide that is complete after one year of ethnic clashes between the valley-based Meiteis and the hill-based Kuki-Zo ethnic group.

Today, the general public is living in islands of peace that exist within the hills and the valley. Manipur has become a tinderbox of multiple pulls and pressures not just within but also on its borders. Government-owned arms have gone missing, and there are fears of a revival of insurgency, with more than half a dozen Indian insurgent groups taking shelter in Myanmar and lending covert support to the internal strife in Manipur. Even as Singh looks to the Centre for long-term solutions, the next step to bridge the divide on ground will have to come from the state government.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ It is one year since violence gripped Manipur. How do you see the security situation today?

A/ The security situation has improved, but around 50 companies of paramilitary forces were withdrawn from the state due to elections, causing a vacuum in some vulnerable areas. But no major untoward incident has taken place in the last four to five months, and I can assure you that peace is returning.

Q/ Looking back at the year gone by, do you have any regrets?

A/ The general public impacted by the violence is innocent. They misunderstood the state government in the beginning and blamed it for the violence. From the time the violence began on May 3 until around August last year, we have mostly been busy managing the situation, putting the displaced in shelter homes and relief camps and making security arrangements. From September onwards, we resumed gathering data and visual proof of poppy plantations, creation of unnatural villages and of illegal smuggling on borders and presented it before the public. The public now understands that the crisis Manipur is facing today has not happened overnight. Over the years, indigenous people have lost their rights, and they have come under threat from drugs even as ecological concerns multiplied with forest lands being grabbed for illegal activities.

Q/ What do you mean by unnatural villages?

A/ The Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur is 398km long, and there was no fencing at all. In the past, attempts were made to fence around 4km, but even that could not be completed…. Under the BJP tenure, we fenced around 10km of the border, and work will begin to fence another 21km. But the fact is that the border is porous and totally unguarded, and people have been coming and going at will. The Kuki-Chin population is living on both sides of the border with close ties. The Free Movement Regime enacted in the past was brought in to facilitate their easy movement. But taking advantage of this facility, people came and settled down here illegally. The economic situation in Myanmar cannot be compared with the Indian side. So, settling down here is far more advantageous, and they get free ration, water, electricity and schools. Since the language, ethnicity, religion, community are same on both sides, it is difficult to identify the outsiders. A peculiar entry in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur called ‘any Kuki tribe’ also enables them to get access to benefits of tribals. In the last 20 to 30 years, a huge population has entered Manipur creating an alarming situation today.

Q/ You were in the Congress earlier. What did you do about it then?

A/ Yes, I was an MLA in the Congress in 2013 and I had warned the then government about people coming in from Myanmar and their demands for a separate state. My vision was not heard because of appeasement policies. I left the Congress and joined the BJP and raised the same issues with the prime minister and then BJP president Amit Shah…. I asked for extension of the Inner Line Permit system to Manipur.

Q/ But the large population that has already entered over the years cannot be pushed back.

A/ Why not? We should push them back. Under the Inner Line Permit guidelines, we have kept 1961 as the base year to segregate indigenous and non-indigenous population. We have begun taking data…. Approximately 2,400 persons who came earlier and nearly 7,400 new entrants have been identified, and we have started the process of deportation from Chandel, Churachandpur and Moreh. If all of them are accommodated, where will the indigenous people go? This is also one of the reasons for the resistance to the state government’s policies.

Q/ How do you see the Assam Rifles’ role in guarding the border?

A/ The Assam Rifles is not a border guarding force; it is a counterinsurgency force. The entire border is open.

Q/ Are you saying the Indo-Myanmar border needs a special force to guard it?

A/ The Assam Rifles are not trained for guarding borders, which is why we have requested the Union home ministry to deploy a separate force to guard the border. The Assam Rifles is not operating on the border line; it is sitting around 15km inside Indian territory. Can an international border be guarded like this?

Q/ Which insurgent groups are active in Manipur today?

A/ There are a handful of insurgent groups like PLA (People’s Liberation Army) or PREPAK (People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak) that remain a concern. After 60 years, we began peace talks with the UNLF (United National Liberation Front) and hundreds of cadres came on board. We are also trying to talk to other insurgent groups.

Q/ Is the present crisis in Manipur fuelled by insurgent groups taking shelter in Myanmar?

A/ Those who entered Manipur are (from insurgent groups) and those who are fighting the junta (in Myanmar) also belong to them. So, it is all related. The movement of arms across the border, the threat from the Golden Triangle, extending from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand into Manipur, with 60 to 70 per cent poppy plantation taking place here made the situation worse. The jungles were cut down to give way to these illegal activities in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Kamjong, Ukhrul. Due to strict action, such activities have come down in parts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

Q/ There are reports that youth vigilante groups and indigenous people in the valley have picked up arms.

A/ It is true that they are picking up arms, but they are not doing it as anti-nationals. They have done it for self-defence and protection of their people against illegal immigrants who resorted to killing and burning down their homes. If we can provide full security and if normalcy returns, then the youth will not bear arms. We are also carrying out operations to recover arms both from the valley and the hills.

Q/ Who is supplying arms to these groups in the valley?

A/ The arms were looted from police armouries. Some of them have been recovered, but it also depends on public cooperation. We cannot use too much force against people, but we are making constant efforts. When they feel fully secure, we hope to recover all the arms. But the recovery of all arms is crucial for peace to return in Manipur.

Q/ From which areas were the arms looted in the valley and the hills?

A/ On May 3, arms were looted from Churachandpur, Singngat and Kangpokpi police stations, and two days later from the police armoury and training centre in Imphal valley.

Q/ There are concerns outside Manipur that the Christian community was targeted?

A/ We are all one and we cannot be divided. We have to live together. Those who are living here need not fear. The state government is only identifying illegal entrants and acting against the drug problem, which impacts all communities alike. We have already begun talks with Kuki-Zo and Meitei brothers, Nagas and civil society organisations. There is no threat to Christians, Hindus, Meiteis, Kukis or any other community based on religion. Around 300-400 churches are there in the valley. The attacks that happened were carried out by mobs. We want everyone to live together peacefully.

Q/ When the Union home minister says the government will talk to both sides, how will it happen when both communities are divided?

A/ We will find a viable solution to bring both communities together. Talks have already begun…. Manipur was a kingdom before it came under the ambit of the Indian Constitution. More than 35 tribes live here and just because one says it cannot live with the other does not mean the state should be divided. The Centre has made it clear that without touching the territorial integrity and unity of Manipur, we will hold peace talks.

Q/ Why is there a need for ST status for the Meitei community?

A/ The indigenous people have concerns around job reservation and land rights. So, all the nitty-gritties must be discussed before a decision is taken on the ST status for Meiteis. The decision should not be taken forcefully, but with consensus. Whether it is through the ST status or not, the Meiteis definitely need protection under the Constitution. It is a micro population. How can it compete with 100 crore of more advanced people? For example, there is restriction on land [ownership] in the hills. Let us give similar protection to the people of the valley.