Assam Rifles' report pins blame for Manipur situation on BJP CM Biren Singh
New Delhi: New insights regarding the Manipur conflict have surfaced from an assessment conducted by Assam Rifles officials in the state.
The blame for much of the situation was directed towards Modi's "political authoritarianism and ambition," as well as the state government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who supports the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Assam Rifles, a paramilitary group under the federal government, has a contentious past. It is the oldest paramilitary force in the nation alongside the army and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the northeastern region.
The assessment, presented in a PowerPoint presentation in late 2023, was reviewed by The Reporters' Collective (TRC), though the officers who shared it chose to remain anonymous.
This marks the first public release of a report by a government body.
This development gains significance as Modi recently stated, just ahead of the upcoming general election, that the federal government's prompt actions had led to a "significant improvement" in the Manipur situation. The prime minister addressed the conflict briefly, marking one of the rare occasions he did so. Meanwhile, the Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah has expressed confidence in the chief minister's role as a mediator, despite his lack of success in this regard. The state's two parliamentary constituencies are scheduled to vote in the initial phases of the national elections on April 19 and April 26.
The Kuki political and armed leadership is pushing for the separation of Kukiland as a distinct administrative region from Manipur, intensifying the ethnic conflict and sparking renewed calls for Kukiland during the ongoing unrest.
Moreover, the presentation highlighted that armed factions from the Kuki tribe were backing "volunteers," while militant groups from the Meitei community were supplying weapons to individuals. These developments have escalated tensions and impeded efforts by community leaders to frame the conflict as ordinary people defending themselves against the opposing community.
As per TRC's investigation, the Assam Rifles organization did not endorse the views expressed in the presentation.
However, Al Jazeera has independently examined the presentation and confirmed its authenticity.
The root cause of the violence is often attributed to the Meitei community's push for Scheduled Tribe status, which entails affirmative action benefits like government job quotas and college admissions. However, this move is rejected by other tribal groups, notably the Kuki-Zo community.
Nevertheless, Assam Rifles representatives referenced the chief minister's policies in their presentation, which they believed exacerbated tensions between the groups. Singh's firm stance on combating the drug trade and addressing social media dissent were cited as contributing factors to the conflict, among other issues.
The presentation accused Singh of fostering discord among the communities through the state's efforts to curb drug production, trade, and sale in Manipur. His staunch opposition to poppy cultivation, particularly in the high-altitude areas bordering Myanmar, reinforced the perception that Kukis were being targeted.
The presentation also highlighted the "dismantling of the law-and-order apparatus" and the "implicit backing" of the violence by state forces.
It pointed to "Meitei Revivalism" as another factor fueling the violence. This term refers to the Meitei community's longstanding aspiration to reclaim its pre-Hindu identity, predating the introduction of Hinduism in the 18th century and Manipur's integration into India in 1949. This movement spurred armed resistance and revitalized Sanamahism in the 1930s.
Two Meitei organizations, Meitei Leepun and Arambai Tenggol, were identified in the presentation as instigators of the violence.
According to police sources, Arambai Tenggol was established in 2020 "under the guidance of the titular king of Manipur and BJP Member of Parliament Leishemba Sanajaoba."
Meitei Leepun, another recently formed group, is believed to be influenced by the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the umbrella organization for various radical Hindu groups, including the BJP. The leader of Meitei Leepun openly pledges allegiance to Meitei leader and BJP-backed state chief minister Biren Singh.
Kuki leaders have accused Meitei Leepun and Arambai Tenggol of orchestrating attacks on their community by the Meitei group. Arambai Tenggol advocates for a more assertive Meitei nationalist stance, distinct from Hinduism, while Meitei Leepun aligns with the Hindutva movement led by the RSS and BJP.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union government, the northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in what may be the country's longest-running ethnic conflict of the twenty-first century over the past 11 months.
The conflict has resulted in 60,000 displaced individuals, 1,100 injuries, and 219 fatalities. Various armed factions have reemerged, recruiting men and youths from both communities. In the Kangpokpi region of Manipur, two Kuki-Zo "village volunteers" were killed last Saturday, with reports indicating that their bodies were mutilated. Tribal organizations alleged in a press release that the killings were carried out by "central security forces, who aided Meitei militants."
The conflict is often oversimplified as a clash between the Christian Kuki-Zo and Hindu Meitei populations, reflecting the religious divisions seen in attacks on religious minorities and communal violence across India. Sanamahism, the indigenous faith of the Meitei group, is practiced alongside a syncretic version of Hinduism, while the Kuki-Zo communities are predominantly Christian. A smaller percentage of Meitei individuals identify as Muslims and Christians.
During the initial two months of the conflict, 7,831 incidents of vandalism and forced evictions were reported. Additionally, there were 189 cases of murder, assault (including sexual assault), injuries, and missing persons, along with 79 instances of widespread weapon theft.
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SC stays CBI probe into West Bengal govt officials' role in teacher recruitment scam
New Delhi, Apr 29: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe the role of West Bengal government officials in a teacher recruitment scam. It, however, refused to stay for now the cancellation of the appointment of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff.
The top court was hearing a plea by the West Bengal government against a high court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, however, refused to stay the high court order cancelling the appointments and said it will hear the matter on May 6.
Observing that taking away the jobs of about 25,000 persons is a serious matter, the top court asked if it is possible to segregate the valid and invalid appointments on the basis of the material available and who the beneficiaries of the fraud are.
"We will stay the direction which says the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government," the bench said.
Calcutta High Court had said the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons in the state government involved in approving the creation of supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments.
If necessary, the CBI will undertake custodial interrogation of such persons involved, it had said.
Challenging the order, the state government, in its appeal filed before the top court, said the high court cancelled the appointments "arbitrarily".
"The high court failed to appreciate the ramification of cancelling the entire selection process, leading to straightaway termination of teaching and non-teaching staff from service with immediate effect, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner state to deal with such an exigency, rendering the education system at a standstill," the plea said.
Calcutta High Court last week declared the selection process as "null and void" and directed the CBI to probe the appointment process. It also asked the central agency to submit a report within three months.
"All appointments granted in the selection processes involved being violative of articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India, are declared null and void and cancelled," the high court said in its April 22 order.
The high court said those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, appointed after the expiry of the official date of recruitment, and those who submitted blank Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets but obtained appointment to return all remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent interest per annum within four weeks.
Observing that it had given "anxious consideration to the passionate plea" that persons who obtained the appointments legally would be prejudiced if the entire selection process was cancelled, the bench said it hardly had any choice left.
The high court held that all appointments involved were violative of articles 14 (equality before law) and 16 (prohibiting discrimination in employment in any government office) of the Constitution.
"It is shocking that, at the level of the cabinet of the state government, a decision is taken to protect employment obtained fraudulently in a selection process conducted by SSC for state-funded schools, knowing fully well that, such appointments were obtained beyond the panel and after expiry of the panel, at the bare minimum," the high court had said.
It said unless "there is a deep connection between the persons perpetuating the fraud and the beneficiaries" with persons involved in the decision-making process, such action to create supernumerary posts to protect illegal appointments is "inconceivable".
The division bench had also rejected a prayer by some appellants, including the SSC, for a stay on the order and asked the commission to initiate a fresh appointment process within a fortnight from the date of the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The bench, constituted by the high court chief justice on a direction of the Supreme Court, had heard 350 petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group-C and D staffers through the SLST-2016.
In its 282-page judgment, the high court had said retaining appointees selected through "such a dubious process" would be contrary to public interest.
