When the Kukis demand reimposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) once again in the valley districts, one could understand it howsoever twisted the logic they have given. As and when some insurgency related incidents come up, with the state failing in its responsibility to tackle or deal with situations, Kuki CSOs and leaders would begin crying for reimposition of AFSPA in the valley areas. Well, their hatred of the valley population is the driving force behind such a demand. They might not even realise that they are also being used as a proxy for pushing the agenda for imposition of AFSPA once again in the valley by the same elements who were against the gradual withdrawal of the Act.
When interests are aligned, everyone forgets the question of humanity and of giving a license to human rights violations. Who is encouraging them? Is it the security establishment or the ‘deep state’ at work? As we all understand, the security establishment was deadly against withdrawal of AFSPA from the Imphal Municipal area during the Congress regime and subsequent relaxation extending to whole of the Imphal valley. AFSPA does not differentiate whether one is Meitei or Naga or Kuki.
Years of experience tell us that under the shadow of AFSPA, the armed forces operate with impunity and get away with torture, rapes, killings and fake encounters while prosecution is a mirage. Compared to other north-eastern states, Nagaland was most affected by the AFSPA regime where entire villages were razed to the ground. Assam had also witnessed atrocities and several instances of human rights violations. There were few voices of solidarity to the 2004 movement beyond the state. However, the 2021 incident of civilian killings at Oting of Mon district in Nagaland seems to have ignited the general public in the Northeast to openly voice for its repeal.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said that he is under tremendous pressure from some agencies for bringing back AFSPA. Every now and then, he had also been saying that if the situation in the valley does not improve or if certain forces do not take initiative of descaling the activities of either insurgents or armed groups in the valley, he might not be able to resist the pressure. Well, he seems to have forgotten that AFSPA was withdrawn from the Imphal Municipal area not because insurgency related activities had come down in the valley, rather because of the numerous incidents of human rights violations by security forces and also cases of duplication by state forces in the form of fake encounters.
After a prolonged movement in 2004 in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of Manorama Devi, the then O Ibobi led Congress government had withdrawn it from seven assembly constituencies of Greater Imphal despite objections from the Centre. AFSPA was lifted from the Imphal Municipal area in 2004 and gradually it was lifted from areas under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations in the valley districts during the BJP regime. Although AFSPA was still in force in the hills of Manipur, incidents of human rights violation had by and large come down all over the state.
We also understand that, BJP extended the withdrawal of AFSPA from Imphal Municipal area to whole of the valley purely on political considerations despite objections from the security establishment. So now, instead of dangling the spectre of AFSPA before the valley population, it is expected of the Chief Minister to have a spine and assert his political authority. He should rather convince the agencies giving him pressure that bringing back AFSPA would further aggravate the situation instead of resolving it. Is there a specific reason for security forces wanting a free hand in the valley region once again while they themselves are giving free rein to SoO militants and alike in the hills? It should be asked of them. Question is, can the Chief Minister ask such a question?
