Biren's Admission: Youth Taking-Up Arms For Self-Defence Reveals His Governance Failure

Mr Biren’s statement in his interview at The Week was rather bizarre and ironic. Under the provision of the Indian constitution, it is the responsibility of the state governments to maintain internal security, law and order in the state. By stating that the youth took up arms steaming out from the sentiment of self-defence, he proved and accepted the fact that he failed to deliver the task he was entrusted with and, thus as a tradition followed in democracy, he must resign from his position immediately.

If the youth should be responsible for their own self- defence, then why are we conducting elections at the cost of taxpayer money? With an attitude of this nature, it is no wonder Imphal Valley, during their short stay, was Hell on Earth for Kukis amidst the state-sponsored genocide pogrom.

The total strength of Manipur police is approximately 44,000. If they can’t safeguard and protect the citizens from a mere 2000 illegal immigrants including the old-aged and the kids, why are they wasting taxpayer money? Is it not right on their part to resign from their jobs? The Home Minister of the state should set an example by tendering the resignation first. But will he sack himself? Likely not. Blaming everything and anything bad arising due to his incapabilities and inefficiency on the Kukis became his habit.

Since when did attacking innocent villagers, arson of schools and houses, desecrating other beliefs and unfurling their flags at the tops of churches, brutal murders and mutilation of human bodies, rape and molestation, capturing properties of forcefully evicted citizens, the military coup of constitutional agencies, booth capture during the election etc., become an act of self-defence? His so-called “youths” commit crimes no less brutal and inhumane than those by the Taliban. Thus, is the chief minister right with the Talibanisation of youth under his watch? Or is it the reason why he kept his mouth silent even if they wore the state police khaki uniform and carried the state-looted guns, travelling in police vehicles?

If the chief minister of a state can still call them “youths”, not terrorists, their acts as “self-defence” and not an anti-national activity, despite the heinous, inhumane and barbaric crimes they committed against the Kukis, despite their criminal activities of capturing constitutional authorities at Kangla fort, despite their involvement in killing the democratic essence by capturing pooling booths, despite their enmity attitude towards the central security forces and despite their repeated violation of a provision of the constitution, it could only be meant that the Chief Minister of the state is hand in glove with his so-called “Youth” and are complicit in their criminal activities.

The chief minister’s agenda is to single out all Kukis as illegal immigrants on the pretext of some 2000 illegal immigrants; name them as drug peddlers despite the involvement of all stakeholders from all communities in the state; and poppy planters despite its cultivation in other areas and with poppy drug lords’ capital itself in Imphal and his recent statement calling a terrorist organisation like Arambai Tenggol as ‘youth driven by the sentiment of self-defence’ are proof that Justice for

the Kukis is as impossible as one coming out of the Bermuda triangle after crossing into the region, under the majoritarian Meitei community rule and jurisdiction. It is simply unacceptable that the sufferings, loss, hardship and pain the Kukis have to bear as a consequence of their criminal activities being called an “act driven by the sentiment of self-defence”. They are genocide war criminals and should be treated as such. Heinous crimes of their criminal activities towards the same citizens of their own country can only come out of anti- national activities blinded by their superiority complex, prejudices and secessionist ethos, not from the sentiments of self-defence.