The extension of deadline has been given upon the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum on the basis of “requests from both the valley and hill areas”, according to the governor
The decision of Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to extend the deadline, first fixed as February 26, by another week for rebels to return weapons looted from police stations and state armouries when ethnic clashes broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, is a welcome move that must be followed up diligently.
The decision follows radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrendering its arms and ammunition voluntarily to the 1st Manipur Rifles Camp in Imphal. Reports suggest that the group deposited 300 weapons of all varieties. Reports also say its members could deposit more arms in the following days. This is seen as a highly positive response as the Meitei groups were seen as having been mainly responsible for the loot of arms from various police stations.
The extension of deadline has been given upon the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum on the basis of “requests from both the valley and hill areas”, according to the governor. This is “the last opportunity for everyone concerned to contribute to peace, communal harmony, the future of our youth, and the security of our society”, Mr Bhalla said.
The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei community and the Kukis who belong to the tribal Zo community were exacerbated by the actions of a partisan government led by BJP leader N. Biren Singh. While the Kukis were forced to take arms to defend their families, even the Meiteis were unhappy with the Biren Singh administration which did nothing to bring about an understanding between the two communities as political expediency got the better of the chief minister. The Union government played ball and offered unwavering support to him despite warnings by none other than the Supreme Court of India, amid damning reports by numerous independent organisations and investigators.
The Centre moved to remove Mr Singh from his position only when it realised that the tensions in the border state, till then limited to its capital and surrounding areas, was spreading to the border districts posing a serious threat to national security. But the basic democratic function of a government, to offer protection to the lives of the people and their properties, had long been abandoned. So much so that several villages inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people had actually formed their own defence committees. Law and order could not have been worse in an Indian state in recent history.
The governor, who took charge at the breaking point, has taken measures that seem to working for now. With distrust for the fellow citizen and the government at its peak, his attempts in essence have been to regain the trust a ruler and the people must share. The extension of the deadline must induce more people to return their weapons and repose trust in the government machinery.
The test for Mr Bhalla, however, lies in how he follows up on this auspicious start — whether he acts impartially and takes stern action against law-breakers once the March 6 deadline for returning the weapons gets over. For, it’s up to him to prove to the people of Manipur that the Constitution is a fair document that can ensure justice for all.
