In a significant deterioration of an already fraught situation in Manipur, two persons were killed and at least nine were injured in a bomb attack using drones in villages in the Meitei-majority Imphal West district. The perpetrators are believed to be Kuki-Zo militants. Kuki-Zo groups and partisans have claimed that the attacks were in retaliation to an attempt by Meitei vigilante and insurgent groups to “ambush” Kuki-zo people in the area. While this claim remains unproven, the use of drones — a tactic employed by pro-democracy insurgents in Myanmar against the junta — points to a dangerous escalation of the ethnic conflict in the State. Coming in the wake of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s assertion that a peace resolution will be achieved in six months, the dastardly attacks could indicate that they are either a deliberate ploy to heighten tensions or just another reminder that ethnic hostilities remain entrenched. That insurgents could use sophisticated drones to attack civilians also suggests a glaring intelligence failure and the inability of the security forces to ensure that the militants are contained. The government has ordered police combing operations but this will not be enough. Unless there is a strong measure to disarm the various groups in the valley and the hills, the situation could exacerbate further.
For nearly 16 months, both the Union and State governments have been content with using security forces to maintain law and order through the creation of buffer zones between the hills and the valley and for the political status quo to remain intact. Repeated violence and the inability of both governments led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to work out any breakthrough that will allow for even a dialogue between civil society representatives from these communities suggest that this policy is a failed one. There is little doubt left any more that the hardening of ethnic identities among the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities is a consequence of the failure of the policies pursued by the Union and State governments. Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Mr. Singh has changed tack since the setback faced by the BJP in the 2024 general election, when it lost both the Lok Sabha constituencies in the State. The Centre continues to ignore critiques of its lackadaisical approach, while Mr. Singh is hell-bent on remaining in power despite his incompetence and a distinct lack of confidence evinced by both communities. While the fresh attacks call for security forces to calibrate a strong response, a concomitant change in approach and leadership in the State is a must for a chance to be given to peace.
