Paradox of arming and disarming citizens
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No doubt, disarmament is a fundamental step towards containment of the protracted violence traumatizing the state of Manipur for the last more than 13 months. Disarmament alone may not be able to resolve the crisis but it can definitely open a way forward. Disarmament should be applied to both sides of the conflict in equal measures. There is no denying the fact that civilians taking up arms is not a healthy sign for any society. At the same time, it is also an unmistakable sign of state failure. While pursuing any active policy of disarmament on both sides of the conflict, the state must admit its colossal failure to protect its own citizens. The state must ponder on why the citizens took up arms at the first place. How the citizens armed themselves is a secondary question, one must focus on why they took up arms. But the state, at the moment, seems to be more concerned on how a section of citizens armed themselves. Self defence in the face of threats to one’s life is not only an inherent right but also an instinct of every living being, and this is not restricted to human being alone. Here it would be worthwhile to recall how the widespread violence unfolded. Many have already made it clear that the violence could have been prevented had the security forces stopped the rally at Churachandpur on May 3, 2023. Security forces did not stop the rally. They watched silently when a large number of war-mongering people, dressed in combat fatigue and armed with sophisticated weapons, joined the rally and marched all the way to Torbung Bangla, only to unleash terror upon unarmed Meitei civilians and ignite a vicious cycle of widespread violence. Had the security forces stopped the rally from making its way beyond Churachandpur or at least protected the unarmed Meitei civilians of Torbung Bangla and their houses, the violence could have been nipped in the bud, and there would not have been any need for the Meitei youth/villagers to take up arms.
It was this abject failure of the state which contributed in a very big way in scripting a bloody history of Manipur. Had the houses of those helpless villagers of Torbung Bangla protected, there would not have been any retribution from Imphal. Again, if the villagers of Torbung Bangla were armed, they certainly would have defended their homes from the marauding aggressors. This was the first instance of the state failure and the state failed multiple times in the coming months. With their homes built with years of hard labour and earnings completely reduced to ashes, the villagers felt the urgent and dire need to arm themselves. Had the State and its armed forces defended the unarmed citizens, no one would have thought of looting weapons. The state must admit its failures and acknowledge this fact while going on with the process of disarmament. At the same time, the state must not mix disarmament with crackdown on unlawful elements like extortionists or criminals. A clear line must be drawn while dealing with criminals and those defending vulnerable villages from aggression. Unleashing the state’s might on those defending vulnerable villages from the relentless aggression in the name of disarmament would be a gross injustice and a classic case of victimising the victims. It is also equally important to see that the disarmament process goes simultaneously on both sides of the conflict. What is of paramount importance which must go hand in hand with the disarmament process is creating a sense of security among all sections of the society. The state has a detailed account of the number and types of weapons looted from its armouries. In another word, the State knows exactly the number of weapons which are in the hands of citizens. Is the state equally aware about the arsenal of the aggressors? Yes, there were reports of the state regularly inspecting the camps of militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO), and it was said the weapons were found intact. At the same time, the aggression at Meitei villages was going on unabated. It only implies that the Kuki-Zo militant groups have alternative huge arsenals of arms and ammunition, outside the supervision of the state. Any process of disarmament must start with identification of the source of this seemingly endless supply of sophisticated arms and ammunition. Until and unless this endless supply of arms and ammunition is cut off, any disarmament process will be unfair and incomplete.
It was this abject failure of the state which contributed in a very big way in scripting a bloody history of Manipur. Had the houses of those helpless villagers of Torbung Bangla protected, there would not have been any retribution from Imphal. Again, if the villagers of Torbung Bangla were armed, they certainly would have defended their homes from the marauding aggressors. This was the first instance of the state failure and the state failed multiple times in the coming months. With their homes built with years of hard labour and earnings completely reduced to ashes, the villagers felt the urgent and dire need to arm themselves. Had the State and its armed forces defended the unarmed citizens, no one would have thought of looting weapons. The state must admit its failures and acknowledge this fact while going on with the process of disarmament. At the same time, the state must not mix disarmament with crackdown on unlawful elements like extortionists or criminals. A clear line must be drawn while dealing with criminals and those defending vulnerable villages from aggression. Unleashing the state’s might on those defending vulnerable villages from the relentless aggression in the name of disarmament would be a gross injustice and a classic case of victimising the victims. It is also equally important to see that the disarmament process goes simultaneously on both sides of the conflict. What is of paramount importance which must go hand in hand with the disarmament process is creating a sense of security among all sections of the society. The state has a detailed account of the number and types of weapons looted from its armouries. In another word, the State knows exactly the number of weapons which are in the hands of citizens. Is the state equally aware about the arsenal of the aggressors? Yes, there were reports of the state regularly inspecting the camps of militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO), and it was said the weapons were found intact. At the same time, the aggression at Meitei villages was going on unabated. It only implies that the Kuki-Zo militant groups have alternative huge arsenals of arms and ammunition, outside the supervision of the state. Any process of disarmament must start with identification of the source of this seemingly endless supply of sophisticated arms and ammunition. Until and unless this endless supply of arms and ammunition is cut off, any disarmament process will be unfair and incomplete.