The hostage drama that has been going on for a while now with the six Naga men who were kidnapped in Manipur has once again revealed the threat of law breakdown, governance failures and inter-community mistrust in the very conflicted state. They directly accused the authorities of not taking any action after several times notifying them for intervention. The six men are the results of the ambush and killing of the Thadou church leaders at Kotlen in Kangpokpi district.
Based on the locals about 20 Naga persons were kidnapped, out of which 14 were freed and 6 are still held hostage, both the protesters and community leaders accuse the Kuki militants as those who have carried out the abductions. There were sit-in demonstrations in several Naga areas including Imphal East Senapati Ukhrul, Kamjong Tamenglong Chandel, Noney, and Churachandpur which showed the anger of the Naga community. With posters like “Bring our people back alive” and “Human lives, not hostages”, they expressed their fear and dissatisfaction over the worsening situation.
Civilians Used as Human Shields.
The kidnapping of innocent civilians during an already violent ethnic conflict is something important of the violence in Manipur. At first, the Meitei community and Kuki-Zo groups had a fight between themselves. Yet, the conflict is now extensively fragmented involving the competing ethnic groups, armed organizations, territorial tensions, and retaliatory violence. Considering that civilians are supposedly abducted and detained for days while there is a heavy deployment of the military and paramilitary forces, this is a great betrayal of the state security forces.
In fact, many protesters are not only concerned about ethnic violence anymore but also about the failure of the government to administer the situation. When people argue that ordinary citizens rely more on the ethnic organizations and protests of communities than on the state institutions for their protection, it also means that the state authority is gradually vanishing from the ground level. Unrest against government for the failure to address one of the issues that made the situation worse was the frustration of the protesters because of the government’s response. Most of the people in the demonstration asked why security forces have still not taken aggressive measures to locate areas from where the hostages were reportedly taken.
Some people’s biggest concern is that if rescue operations are delayed, it may not only enhance ethnic conflicts but also undermine the already disturbed relationships between communities. The issue of failing to prevent the conflict in Manipur, in which the human rights are repeatedly violated through abuses killings disappearances and armed clashes comes to light through these points of view.
Ethnic segmentation and the manipulation of fear during election campaigns
Hostage situations have been instrumental in showing how the ethnic groups in Manipur have separated and hardened against each other. Different ethnicity members are extensively using ethnic and regional perspectives to interpret events, at the same time blaming and threatening each other quite fiercely.
So what is a matter of most concern is that an act of violence can set off a chain reaction of revenge, work stoppages and demonstrations. Being caught between armed groups, political stories and waning faith, the people are the ones who get trapped. Fear has become a constant companion of the citizens due to the ongoing unrest. Entire neighborhoods abstain from going to certain areas, keeping themselves only secure by militias based on ethnicity and mistrust of clans closest to them have become an instinct. This division is a menace to the piecing together of the very social character of Manipur in the years to come.
Manipur is a state which is almost in a state of crisis permanently
It has been over three years since the Manipur violence, and there still haven’t been any serious efforts for peace. This is a long sustained human rights crisis of international level that needs urgent attention. Even the security forces involvement for not solving but worsening the situation is beyond the normalcy.
Many say that the government’s approach has largely focused on containment with little attempt at genuine reconciliation, political engagement, or even enforcement of law. The existence of six Naga men disappeared problem may be a criminal issue, but the implications go much deeper. It is a sign of how badly the situation in Manipur has gone – civilians disappearing in the midst of the ethnic conflict while communities are left to protest for their basic protection and justice.
