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Often the problems in Manipur are simplified as a never-ending ethnic fight. Indeed there are tensions between the ethnic communities. The most recent manifestation was the death of 11 persons in the border town of Moreh. Death is not shocking news in Manipur. Humanity and human values are dead -- it is a dead state.
Manipur is a quarantined state. Access is not easy and often denied, particularly to foreigners. Information flow into and outside the state is screened by the government. The national media in India reports the least from this state. Even though the state has an elected government, the administration is literally run by various paramilitary agencies of the Indian Army. The presence of the paramilitary units is evident in every corner of the state. They literally rule the state.
Manipur's primary problem is the absence of law and order, which is exploited by various anti-state factions. This failure is the direct result of the discrimination meted out against the people of Manipur right from the beginning. Since 1949 when King Budhachandra was "forced" to sign an agreement with the Indian Union allowing the "annexation" of Manipur with India, the state has faced discrimination, point blank.
The socio-political, cultural and economic needs of the people have been ignored for a long time by the government of India, which has given rise to a secessionist movement within Manipur. From the day it was allegedly "annexed" to the Indian Union, Manipur had nothing in common with the rest of India. To an average Manipuri, the new government based in Delhi was as foreign and alien as the British. The only difference between the two administrators was the skin color.
Under the new administration Manipur soon spiraled into a state of uncontrolled violence, meted out by both the state and anti-state agents. Maintenance of law and order failed due to the ignorance and neglect of the administrators. The response of the central government was to deploy its paramilitary units -- and life in Manipur grew even more miserable.
The attitude of the paramilitary units deployed in Manipur is not much different from that of the central government. They are insensitive to the local culture, traditions and most of all, to the people. They kill, torture and rape with impunity. To a Manipuri, the paramilitary officer stationed in Manipur is no different from a member of an underground rebel group.
Violence is most often reportedly committed by members of the Assam Rifles. The members of this unit are involved in some of the most heinous crimes. The extent to which they are engaged in violence, particularly toward women, is reflected in the instruction circulated by their commanding officer that the possession of condoms is a standard requirement for every officer on patrol duty. Why should an officer on patrol duty carry a condom? One should ask Lieutenant General Mr. Paramjit Singh, the director general of Assam Rifles.
In a typical incident, a sub-inspector of police stationed at the Moreh Police Station was slapped by an officer attached to the Assam Rifles for refusing to register false charges against innocent persons. The police officer was assaulted in front of his subordinate officers and the public. In the past few days, Moreh has witnessed some of its worst days in the recent years.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958 provides impunity to armed forces for violence against civilians. No reasonable action can be taken against the paramilitary officers for their acts. The only possible recourse is to complain to the army and hope for an internal disciplinary action, which is never imposed. Those who complain are targeted by the armed forces and often go missing, never to return. Those who do return are let off in such a physical and mental state that they would not dare to complain again. In Manipur there is no neutral ground. One must either join a secessionist group or remain silent and live in fear.
Manipur society is divided and fragmented today. People do not trust each other. The local police have been reduced to the role of scavengers, left to clean up the mess created by the armed forces. The courts in Manipur have no means to control the armed forces. The administration also does not know what to do. In the meantime, the armed forces have started supporting select factions of ethnic communities and are encouraging them to fight each other.
Armed underground groups are often found staying in the vicinity of the Assam Rifles Camp. Several of those who have been found killed from this group were in possession of ID cards issued by the Assam Rifles. Along the Moreh-Imphal highway is a place where these groups extort money from travelers, in broad daylight and close to the vehicle checkpoint manned by the Assam Rifles. This faction declared war against the "occupying" Indian forces long ago. The support provided by the armed forces to this group questions the very presence of the paramilitary in Manipur.
What the people in Manipur lack today is support. They are supported neither by the state government nor the central government. The ordinary people have no middle ground on which to live safely. They are caught in the dragnet of the games played by the armed forces, the state government and the central government. Civil rights groups and the media have abandoned them.
The killing of 11 people in Moreh is just the beginning. If Manipur continues in the quarantine chamber build by the Indian government, by the time it is free there will be no one left to enjoy the freedom. There will be nothing left but empty shells and used condoms.
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(Bijo Francis is a human rights lawyer currently working with the Asian Legal Resource Center in Hong Kong. He is responsible for the South Asia desk at the center. Mr. Francis has practiced law for more than a decade and holds an advanced master's degree in human rights law.)
