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A Protest Hijacked

Larger issues come into picture in Manipur as militants jump into the popular movement against the armed forces act <a href=pti_coverage.asp?gid=18 target=_blank> Updates</a>

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A Protest Hijacked
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Outlook
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Ever since Manorama Devi died of bullet wounds while in the custody of the Assam Rifles, Manipur has been in flames. The agitation has shown no sign of a let-up although the beleaguered Manipur government, through a cabinet decision on August 12, announced the lifting of AFSPA from the municipal limits of the capital, Imphal. To make matters worse, on Independence Day, a student leader, Pebam Chittaranjan, attempted self-immolation at Beshenpur, close to Imphal, and was rushed to hospital with 85 per cent burn injuries. He died the next day, plunging Manipur into further strife.

Chief minister Ibobi Singh is a worried man as anti-national sentiments appear to be creeping into the stir. The agitating groups have called for a boycott of 'made in India goods'. Uma Kanta clarified: "To start with, we have asked our people to stop buying mineral water and soft drinks made outside the Northeast." Instances of students torching their Hindi texts have also surfaced. Says Sougaijam Rakesh, a member of the All Manipur Students' Union: "This is the students' way of voicing their protest against AFSPA, which has made life insecure across the state".

"The insurgency level in Manipur is very high and the army was entrusted to combat the rebels at a time when the situation had gone beyond the capabilities of the police and the paramilitary," says a general in charge of counter-insurgency operations in the area. Between January 2000 and July 31, 2004, as many as 148 security personnel have been killed by insurgents across Manipur. "The army has lost 39 soldiers in 22 attacks by rebels in the state during this period," said Maj S.D. Goswami, an army spokesman based in Imphal. During this three-and-a-half year period, insurgents, according to police records, have killed 456 civilians, besides kidnapping several of them, including three policemen and two army jawans.

Manipur's police chief A.K. Parashar admits that extortion is a major source of funds for the rebels. "We are trying our best to check this menace," he says. Intelligence estimates of the yearly budget provisions of the major insurgent groups in Manipur reveal a shocking picture: UNLF Rs 9 crore, PLA Rs 9 crore, PREPAK Rs 6 crore, NSCN-IM Rs 9 crore, NSCN (Khaplang) Rs 8 crore, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) Rs 6 crore and the Kuki National Army Rs 4 crore. "They extort money and gather rations from the Imphal Valley and retreat to their bases in the hills," says an intelligence official.

On April 19, the army's 44 Mountain Brigade, under the command of Brigadier V.P.P.S. Gusain, moved into the militant-infested Sajek Tampak mountains in Manipur's Chandel district. Soldiers of the 7 Sikh Light Infantry, 27 Madras Regiment and 9 Rajput arrived in the inaccessible frontier, ostensibly to carry out 'area domination' exercises ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. But, their actual mission was to flush out an estimated 3,000 rebels from their hub, which opens up into the rugged Myanmar jungles.

Rebels of the UNLF, PREPAK and PLA, who jointly operate from their Sajek Tampak bases under the banner of the Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), were prepared. They mined their bases and laid ambushes, killing four, including a lieutenant, the day the soldiers moved in. Army sources say the rebels in Sajek Tampak have rocket-propelled grenades, two-inch mortars, universal and light machine guns, Chinese M-16 rifles, land mines, AK series rifles, lethode bombs and possibly a few anti-aircraft guns. The army is yet to launch a frontal attack, but appears to be cutting off the lines of communication. The army is also working at bringing the impoverished villagers inhabiting the approaches to the hills to its side by building roads and setting up water points. If an entire brigade is deemed necessary to confine and neutralise the militants in a single location, the overall insurgency situation in Manipur can well be imagined.

Many mainstream civil society groups in Manipur talk almost the same language as the separatist rebels, leading to charges that the insurgents have open sympathisers in the state's political and social arena. On May 2 last year, chief minister Singh warned government officials and private contractors of firm action if they are found guilty of links with the insurgents, lending credence to the charges of rebel-politician-businessmen-civil society nexus.

Clearly, the authorities have been caught between the devil and the deep sea. New Delhi may soon be left with no option but to dismiss its own government in the state and clamping President's rule. As of now, CM Ibobi is acting tough. "Militant groups are instigating the protesters. If normality is not restored, the government may have to reimpose AFSPA. We shall not tolerate any anti-national acts," Ibobi thundered. The masses though are not prepared to listen just yet.

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