This time, it is the Manipur police who is doing the clarification that there is no ‘buffer zone’ as such between the valley and the surrounding hills. A recent police PR on Monday clarified that "buffer zones" do not exist while responding to the circulation of some news reports on the existence of "buffer zones" in between some inter-district areas of hill and valley districts of Manipur.
However, security forces are deployed in some fringe, vulnerable and sensitive areas of districts to prevent unwanted incidents and movement of miscreants, stated the release. Surely, the draft PR must have gone through the usual vetting in the chain of command before its release. Representatives from the security forces, paramilitary forces and intelligence officers are deputed in the Police Control Room located at 1st MR campus, which was specially set up after clashes broke out in May last year.
As the security advisor, Kuldeip Singh, presides over the Unified Command, he takes the final call on police PR issued daily. Chief Minister N Biren Singh had also clarified that there is no such thing as a buffer zone, only sensitive or hotspot zones and also forces (including state forces, of course) can operate anywhere. Time and again, the Kukis had been talking about a ‘buffer zone’ between the valley and the surrounding hills while some paramilitary forces also had the same opinion.
Whenever state forces or local volunteers tried to retaliate on the attacks one or the other central forces were there to intervene or as they say they are simply trying to ‘keep the peace’ in between. Then, someone came up with the idea of a ‘buffer zone’ between the hill and valley areas. It could have been the higher-ups in central forces. Kukis keep asserting the presence of ‘buffer zone’ and it is not at all strange given the nature of relationship the Indian security establishment had cultivated over the years with the Kukis. They keep saying that Meiteis, be it the state forces or local militias, have no right to cross the ‘buffer zone’ whatsoever be the circumstances. It was like the British dividing the valley and hills in the matter of administration during the colonial times. The wedge driven by them is still potent and often rears up its head.
The emergence of a buffer zone in the Manipur situation has also to do with N Biren. One still remembers him saying that Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked him to handle law and order in the valley while Centre would take responsibility for the same in the violence-hit hill districts. It was on June 25 last year that he briefed the press at the Imphal airport.
A few days later, he made a U-turn and clarified what Amit Shah actually meant was that his ministry will firmly deal with the excessive violence in the hills and that the ground rules of the tripartite suspension of operation truce will be strictly enforced. This was after several CSOs protested against seemingly ceding maintenance of law and order to the Centre. They also complained that, he has practically agreed to separation of valley and hills while the Kukis are demanding a separate administration.
Violence continued even during the visit of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. During his visit, Kuki leaders met him at Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and asked him to provide security by central forces in the vicinity of Kuki villages which was put to action. While the Kukis clinged to the sense of security provided for by forces stationed near their villages and the continuance of SoO, a lack of security and lack of trust for central forces among the valley populace grew in leaps and bounds.
And now, they are talking about keeping the peace in the so-called ‘buffer zone.’ On all counts, there is a difference of opinion between the state government and the central government on the existence of a buffer zone. So, there is a need to clear the air not only through clarifications but by action. It is the responsibility of the security advisor and the chief minister to assert the state’s position through action, and not mere words.
