Strange logic indeed. Kuki CSOs have jointly called for a 24-hour total shutdown from midnight on June 10 in Kuki-dominated areas along National Highway 37 (Imphal-Jiribam Road). They have cited the reason for calling the shutdown as ‘unwarranted breach of peace and tranquillity along NH-37’ by government forces. They also say, in order to avoid any violent activities CSOs of the areas had repeatedly appealed to the state government, including police and district administration, not to deploy any Meitei drivers and police personnel along NH-37. So, the state government must accept responsibility for the ‘unfortunate’ incident of June 10. Suspected Kuki militants had ambushed the Chief Minister’s advance security team which was enroute to Jiribam near K Sinam village along the National Highway 37.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh was due to visit Jiribam in view of the escalating violence in the district. And the advance security team, composed mostly of special forces detailed for ‘VIP security’ was sent to prepare for the Chief Minister’s visit. However, they chose to call it ‘unwarranted breach of peace and tranquillity along NH-37’ strangely. As a Chief Minister, he wanted to directly assess the situation in the violence hit district and it was going to be his maiden visit outside the valley districts since ethnic violence broke out in May last year. There is nothing wrong in sending reinforcements of state forces to trouble torn areas of the state, as it is the prerogative of the state to use all means to restore order. The Kuki CSOs had all along been protesting the induction of state forces in Moreh and elsewhere.
Now, they do not want the state government to send reinforcements to Jiribam where Kuki-Zo militants are burning homes and rendering several villagers homeless. They have developed a mindset that they have the State at ransom and the state government should follow their dictates. So, whenever the state government sends in reinforcements either by helicopter or by road, they would start the propaganda that Meitei militia groups are embedded among the state police commandos. They even circulated fake news of insurgents embedded in the advance security team enroute to Jiribam.
This time, as the Chief Minister was in New Delhi when the Jiribam incident happened and people across the valley began questioning his absence here in Imphal. The Opposition and his detractors had been constantly chiding him for not being able to cross the ‘buffer zone’ although he denies the existence of such a buffer zone. Manipur police, which is practically under the Security Advisor and the Union Home ministry, had also 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, in reality, security forces are deployed in some fringe, vulnerable and sensitive areas of districts to prevent people and officials from crossing over in order to prevent unwanted incidents.’ 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. Kuki CSOs 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.
