Biren: A Monster India is Nurturing in its Courtyard With Dignity and Power Undeserving for Him

The stark silence of the central government and their continual inaction against Biren even after an audiotape which provides the evidence for his complicity in the ongoing conflict got leaked, whereby the person(s) making the recording have, in a signed and sworn affidavit, identified the person speaking Meiteilon in the audio as Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh despite knowing how dangerous it is for him/her or them, is immoral, unethical, undemocratic, worrying and terrifying. It leaves the victims in despair with no ray of hope for their justice as it is seen as an attempt by the central government to back Biren Singh yet again. Their continual support and backing is seen by the innocent civilians as their complicity, as they believe President Rule is an alternative as well if not other BJP MLA’s. How can a man in power be held accountable with the continual support of his superiors to whom the victims should otherwise seek their help to hold him accountable? Will their compromise cost India dearly, is thus the question.

The unfolding of events in the past one and half year, stands tall as a testament of the central government’s lack of interest in the ongoing conflict, their role being limited only to damage control and Biren’s continual stranglehold in the state. The belief on the ground is that Biren is more powerful than he was before. They think that Manipur is now under Biren’s autocratic rule and not a mere Biren-led government in the state.The ground reality of Manipur is telling of the complete breakdown of constitution and law and order despite the implementation of Article 355 which refers to the provision in the Constitution that states that “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”.

What strikes out in both the snippets of the leak audio tape content release by The Wire is the upper hand Biren holds and his influence on every issue, his disregard for rule of law and the central government and its agencies. The central government’s silence and the ground realities of Manipur is proving the authenticity of the content each passing day. If this is how Article 355 functions, then Article 355 is comparable to the power of the British crown as laid down in writing by the British parliament - a paper tiger with no real authority. One will not be wrong in assuming to state that the de-facto power of the state is entrusted to Biren alone after a careful observation and analysis of the ground reality of governance in the state.

On paper, it is the Unified Command that oversees security operations in Manipur and is currently handled by a team of Union Home Ministry officials, the state security adviser and the Army. However amid the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, the state government led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, has created a new post of Senior Superintendent of Police (Combat) and appointed a retired Colonel of the Indian Army, Mr. Nectar Sanjenbam. It is not surprising that his pro-activeness and responsibilities is being restricted only to Kuki dominated areas as he was appointed by the accused mastermind of the ethnic cleansing CM Biren Singh. His infamous operations and activities in Moreh town and Sugnu caused more violence and human and constitutional rights violations of the innocents civilians inhabiting the said places. An intel report from CMO recently is exposing the non-unified command and non-coordination of the so called Unified Command operating in Manipur. It also exposes the CM’s office role in inciting fear amongst the public and communal enmity between the two communities and thus inciting the conflict more. Will it be wrong to assume Kuldiep Singh as a puppet being deployed to deceive the people of India that Article355 is being implemented in the state?

Coup d’état of constitutional machinery including Ministers by VBIGs Arambai Tenggol at Kangla fort and assault of elected representative during that meeting, surrendering of state police uniforms and its vehicles to the same outfit, the same outfit which holds looted weapons and ammunition from the state armoury. They along with militants (or/&Police) in state police uniforms attack and arson houses, properties and churches in the fringes inhabited by Kukis. They are alleged to have engaged in booth capture during the recent elections. However, the long arm of law never reaches their doorstep. Biren in the audiotape confessed that he sent the security forces to help the militants in attacking Kukis. Thus it comes with no surprise that they are not held accountable for their crimes and of Biren’s claim that they are village volunteers and by some as cultural/religious groups to legitimise their inhumane and genocidal crimes. It is necessary to question and consider the possibilities of what if tomorrow Biren loses the elections and utilises this militia group to capture power via coup d’état? The staged resignation drama and the compromisation of law and order and the constitution is pointing of the fact that Biren can do anything for power. Arambai Tenggol is a dangerous force because their radicalism and ethnocentric ideology is well received on the ground and thus they have a solid fan base in every pocket of the valley district.

Rampant extortion and broad daylight kidnapping for ransom, attacks on any voices that is anti-Biren regime; law of mob and not of law; misusing of Meira Paibis to stop central agencies and forces from carrying out their responsibilities and duties; rescuing arrested criminals; freedom to spread communal hatred and violence; discriminatory practices through negligence; inaction and misuse of power and authority towards the Kukis by government officials and departments in the state capital Imphal, and crowdfunding to buy illegal weapons are some of the characteristics that define the ground reality of the valley district in Imphal. However, AFSPA is limited only for hilly districts and not for the valley. One of the reasons given for the non-imposition of AFSPA in the valley districts is that the imposition could worsen the already broken law and order. It implies some community’s sentiment is valued more and the state is openly violating the principles and value of equality as laid down by the constitution.

In the first snippet of the leaked audio tape, the voice confessed to directing the security forces to use bombs discreetly after being called out by the Home Minister. The surprising fact is the attack on Kuki villages happened after a rally organised under the aegis of Kuki Inpi Manipur and Kuki Students Organisation demanding to probe the leak audio tape. Pro-government national media then orchestrated the organised campaign against the Kukis alleging them of using drone bombs in the conflict by misrepresenting videos of Myanmar rebels and Hamas as that of the Kukis’. The Army chief has exposed their fake allegations. The event exposed how dangerous Biren is and how far he can go to protect his CM chair and to hide his crimes. It must be noted that the discriminatory name calling of Kukis as refugees, illegal immigrants, poppy planters and narco-terrorist is popularised by the man himself.

In the second snippet, he talked about the negotiations he had with the Home Minister on 5 criminals that were to be arrested by the NIA. He confessed that 3 out of 5 were saved from the clutches of NIA investigations, and that he had to sacrifice the other two to honour the Home Minister and NIA’s “izzat “. Thus the question is, since when did “izzat” become the criteria for prosecution of criminals and not the rule of law? Is justice for tribals like Kukis even possible in today’s India where the Home Minister’s interference could not hold criminals to be prosecuted by the central agencies? It is a fact that as days pass by, they will bury more and more evidence which can prove the heinous crimes of the criminals. Hence the question becomes, is the Central government giving them the time to bury the evidence? If one of the most powerful persons in India today haa to beg the Chief Minister for prosecution of criminals in the name of his “izzat”, what can powerless and ordinary innocent victims do to get their justice?

To one’s horror, in one of the snippets, Biren could be heard complaining about the Meitei community for not taking the due credit of rescuing and dropping the women safely to a safe place after the men committed the heinous crime of parading the women naked and gang-raping them. He expects the world to thank the Meitei Community for saving the women at least from brutal murder. Thus, it is telling of why police themselves handed over to mobs, where one of the women lost his brother and his father to the same mob that brutally raped and inhumanely paraded them naked. Any sane CM would have held the police forces accountable and questioned the community members for letting the women be tortured inhumanely in their presence except for the psychopath CM, Mr Biren who questioned the intelligence of his community for not taking due credit for saving the women from being brutally murdered after the horrific torture they endured. His psychopath mentality is so bone-chilling that it stood up the hair on your skin. But the Kukis are expected to trust him by the central government unconditionally.

Why is India which is the third most powerful country in Asia helpless against Biren? Does India lack the technology and manpower to probe the leaked audio tape? What holds the central government back? Don’t Indians deserve the unbiased truth? Will Biren be ever held accountable? Why is India nurturing a monster that could bite it back in his courtyard? Why is President’s Rule not imposed, as article 355 cannot ensure the governance of the state according to the provisions of the constitution? The government of India must satisfy itself and the people of India with the above questions.

Today, Biren and his comrades’ communal politics has divided the state into two emotionally and practically. They themselves won’t be able to undo the deep hatred they have incited between the two conflicting communities. Thus the demand for Manipur territorial integrity by the dominant community is Kukis’ ancestral land oriented not the Kukis themselves. Will India allow it? Above all Kukis don’t feel safe to be integrated in the state of Manipur. The fight thus is between territorial acquisition and dignity, safety, equality and justice. While India won’t lose an inch of land for creating a separate administration in the form of UT, what awaits Kukis in Manipur will be discrimination, atrocities, injustice and suffering because the level of hatred towards them have increased manyfold.