From Butcher to Police Commando: Biren has Done it

Manipur state administration has been changed drastically after the ethinc violence broke out on May 3, 2023. Thanks to the ethnic cleansing pogrom on the Kuki-Zo people, the Meitei Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, has done it all by promoting various unemployed Meitei youth to the rank and file of Police commandos within a span of six months, devoid of due process of law.

One instance of such cases has been exposed on Saturday. A chicken seller from Moreh just before the Manipur mayhem began on May 3, is now seen in police commando camouflage uniform, suggestively being deployed amongst the ‘Combing Operation Team’ in Moreh.

Social media users identified the fake Police commando as one Thangjam Lanngamba, a butcher from Meitei community in Moreh Bazar, donning Police commando uniform posing with sophisticated weapons. Every denizen of Moreh knows very well that though he has donned a Manipur Police Commando uniform and carries weapons, he is not a Manipur Police Commando.

This exposè represents a great concerning situation in Manipur amidst high tension between the warring communities. This sheds light on the prevailing lawlessness in Manipur, where every Meitei civilian can become a police commando within a fortnight and collaborate with Manipur police to target the Kuki-Zo people. This is yet another piece of evidence why the Kuki-Zo community cannot trust the Manipur police commandoes, and constantly demanded against their deployment in Kuki-Zo areas .

As seen here, there is no discernible difference between Manipur police and Meitei militants, such as Arambai Tenggol and radicalized Meitei. They are working together. The accusations against Manipur police towards looting, robbery, torturing the Kukis have a reason, and that reason is evident here.

This case further emphasizes the lack of trust that the hill people have in the Manipur police and their strong opposition to their presence in their areas. The blurred lines between Manipur police and Meitei militants, such as Arambai Tenggol and radicalized Meitei, reveal a disturbing lack of law and order in Manipur and indicate that Manipur police is no longer a state police force, but Meitei Police derived mainly from radicalised youth of Arambai Tenngol, Meitei Leepun and valley-based terrorists.

Why has the Manipur police transformed into what is perceived as a Meitei Police force, and what processes have facilitated this transformation?

How do leaders like Biren Singh and his cabinet colleagues utilize the Manipur police as a private Meitei militia, and why is the state police being used to target the Kukis?