There seems to be no end to the cycle of violence in Manipur its killing that remains unabated while justice is nowhere to be found. The Ukhrul attack is not just a tragic event but is a part of a continuing chain of violence where the perpetrators of violence are leaving their marks on the victim, the Government is issuing statements while on, in essence, nothing does change. Only when the government will stop the issuance of quick-fix answers and start the holding of individuals responsible, improve the intelligence function, and confront the main problems, Manipur will be in a position to break away from the cycle.
The attack not only destroyed that notion but also highlighted a larger officials-claims-lies-to-the public gap. Violence pattern without any consequences. This incident is just another drop in a long violent history of the state that includes ambushes, murders, and assaults on innocent people. There had been many occasions where a number of incidents that occurred in the region within a short time got a lot of media attention, but the public was hardly shown the proof of law enforcement efforts and the outcomes of such actions. Investigations are announced, arrests are occasionally reported, but convictions are rare and even when they happen they are very late. Justice, for the victims, is a promise they hear rather than a reality they see.
Security Assurances vs Ground Reality
That ambush is symptomatic of a glaring loophole in the entire security blueprint. How is it possible for a route that is labeled as “safe” to get attacked in front of everyone, at broad daylight? The barefaced audacity of the terrorists is such that it think it is quite possible that security forces are caught off-guard.
If not, then is there that much of a mess between the agencies to the extent that they can’t even cooperate properly? And of course, chief among everything else, people are asking why the routes used by civilians that are prone to terrorist attacks are not being properly protected. Such lapses in security make one thing clear – the authorities are acting after the fact, not before.
Civilians Caught in the Crossfire
Regularly victims of attacks are the ordinary folk — people who are on the move, living in the countryside, or going about their daily life, these people without their consent become, in effect, hostages to a situation of continually ongoing war.
The images that went viral from the Ukhrul attack, with the wounded passengers, crying for help, are the proof of the lives being lost due to the disorder. Vehicles wrecked, injuries yet to be confirmed, and emergency situations turning into disasters have now become quite synonymous with the name of these atrocities. And what is even more disturbing is that there hasn’t been provision made for rehabilitation of victims and compensation given.
Ethnic Tensions and Militant Activity
Ethnic tensions are high is northeast specifically along the areas where minorities live. Case after case, the aggrieved families remain hanging in the lurch. Investigations remain non-transparent, public accountability is at a minimum and there is no definite plan for the prosecution of the persons responsible.
Such a void of justice not only escalates the people’s rage but also shakes the confidence in the very mechanisms of the state. Failures in the justice systems lead to additional disorder and violence cycles.
State Trapped in Unproductive Repetition
Ukhrul attack does not qualify only as a tragedy, it forms part of a chain of acts through which violence is done, statements of the official are made, and basically, nothing changes.
It is the government stopping giving temporary solutions and only then will they have the courage to hold those responsible accountable, improving the intelligence system, and at the same time the addressing of the root causes, Manipur will continue living in the vicious circle of violence. For people the question remains unaddressed, when will justice be served to their loved ones?
