Manipur: Schools deserted, streets deserted and paddy fields at the mercy of their owners

Two and a half months have passed. Violence in Manipur is not taking the name of stopping. The surprising thing is that security forces personnel have been deployed for the safety of the farmers, yet only a few farmers are able to go to the fields during the paddy transplanting season. The fields are deserted. The schools are deserted and the streets are empty.

Manipur is the first state where those who fight face to face are also citizens and those who suffer are also citizens. To say, schools have opened here since July 4. After this, some children are able to go to school in Imphal, but in the rest of the state, especially in the Kuki areas, education has come to a standstill because most of the schools here have now become refugee camps.

The cycle of violence that continued in Manipur since May 3 is still going on.

…and the kind of violent atmosphere prevailing here, it is not possible to shift the refugees or send them back to their homes.

At present, the whole of Manipur has been divided into two parts. Gunfights have become common here. People are getting killed. Trucks are being overturned and many vehicles, houses are being set on fire everyday. If Meitei is killed, Kuki calls him a terrorist and if Kuki is killed, Meitei does not hesitate to call him a terrorist.

The government has been seeking advice from the people as to how to stop the violence in Manipur? The police, army and security forces did everything and lost. Can’t find any solution. Now common people can’t even be shot directly!

After all, what is the solution to this problem, this violence? Meitei wants land on the mountains and Kuki does not like Imphal. That is, they are adamant on their demand for separate administration and development on the mountains. However, there is no solution to this problem without dialogue, nor can it be.

Houses are still being set on fire in Manipur.

But who will convince both the communities for talks? It is a simple matter, after all it is the responsibility of the government. Either the state government should try for this or the central government should do something! Whether or not the talks will be successful is a far-fetched matter, before that it is necessary to win Kuki’s trust to bring both the communities to the negotiating table.

This is the most crooked pudding. Kuki is not yet ready to trust anything like the government. The Meitei are rich, they are also powerful, they have to build their property on the mountains of Kuki influence.

When Subhash Ghising-Rajiv agreement can happen, when Longowal agreement can happen then why can’t Meitei-Kuki agreement happen? Without putting aside the arrogance, whether of governments or of communities, neither there can be any dialogue nor any compromise seems possible.

Certainly governments must be making efforts in this direction, but honest efforts are necessary. Unless both the parties have faith in the government or its representatives, the talks will not progress.