Even as the Indian Army and Paramilitary forces fails to contain the Kuki-Zomi militants who have been attacking the Meitei civilians from the surrounding hilltops where the Disturbed Area Status under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 is in force, the Union Government of India has reimposed the Disturbed Areas Status in the jurisdictional areas of six police stations which had been withdrawn earlier.
The AFSPA provides immunity to armed forces personnel – it disallows prosecution of persons acting under the Act except with the sanction of the Union Government of India. It empowers even a non-commissioned officer at the rank of a Havildar of the armed forces to “fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death” against “any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order” if they are of the opinion that it is necessary.
The Union Government of India on November 14 reimposed the Disturbed Areas status under the AFSPA in the jurisdiction of six police stations in Manipur’s five districts including Kangpokpi district’s Leimakhong police station which borders with Sekmai police station and Lamshang police station both under Imphal West district.
The AFSPA has been imposed in the entire State of Manipur since September 1980. However, the Disturbed Area Status had been withdrawn at different stages between August 2004 and 2023 April from the jurisdictional areas of the 19 police stations in Manipur.
First, the Disturbed Area Status had been removed by the then Congress Government led by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi in August 2004 from seven Assembly Segments under Imphal Municipal Area or six police stations where Manipur Police is very active and smart in countering the insurgents. The Government removed the Disturbed Area Status partially from Manipur after a movement of the people including women’s naked protest against the draconian Act in front of Kangla, the ancient palace of Manipur, which was occupied by the Assam Riffles. People’s movement headed by Apunba Lup against the rape and killing of a young woman Thangjam Monoroma by the Assam Riffles led to withdrawal of the Disturbed Area Status from Imphal Municipal Area and the Assam Riffles from Kangla in 2004.
Secondly, by an order issued on March 31, 2022 the Disturbed Areas Status from the areas under the jurisdictions of another 9 (nine) police stations with effect from April 1, 2022, which brought the total number of police stations free from AFSPA altogether 15 in six districts. The Government order said the disturbed area tag will no longer be applicable in seven police station areas of Imphal West district, four police station areas under Imphal East district and one police station area each in the districts of Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching and Jiribam.
Thirdly, a government notification issued on March 24, 2023 has withdrawn the Disturbed Area Status from the areas under the jurisdictions of 4 (four) more police stations in Manipur. The four more Police Stations under which jurisdictions the Disturbed Area Status has been removed are Moirang and Nambol of Bishnupur district, Wangoi of Imphal West district and Leimakhong of Kangpokpi district.
The 19 police stations were Imphal, Lamphal, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching, Jiribam.
The Disturbed Areas Status under AFSPA, which has been imposed in the entire State of Manipur except 19 police stations, has now been extended to the jurisdictions of police stations of Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Moirang in Bishnupur district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi district and Jiribam police station in Jiribam district.
Notably, the areas under the police stations of Sekmai, Lamshang, Lamlai and Moirang are located along the borders of Kuki-Zomi occupied hill areas, where the Disturbed Areas notification under AFSPA is already in place.
Jiribam, which is currently in the hotbed of violence by the Kuki-Zomi militants, is located at Manipur’s western-most area bordering Assam’s Cachar district. It has a mixed population of Meiteis, Pangals, Bengalis, Hmars and other communities, and is bordered by the districts of Pherzawl, Noney and Tamenglong and only western gate connecting with the rest of India through which essential goods are transported for the State. Pherzawl bordering Assam and Mizoram is in between Churachandpur and Jiribam, and dominated Hmar and Kuki-Zomis.
Leimakhong included in Kangpokpi district is the home of the 57 Mountain Division, also known as the Red Shield Division and part of the III Corps of the Indian Army, bordered with the areas under Sekmai and Lamshang police stations of Imphal West district and approachable by road from Imphal West only.
The Disturbed Area Status had been withdrawn from the areas of Sekmai, Lamsang, Lamlai and Jiribam police stations in April 2022, and from Moirang and Leimakhong in April 2023.
Now, with the reimposition of Disturbed Area Status under AFSPA in the areas of six police stations, only 13 police stations remain free from the extraordinary powers of Indian Army and Paramilitary Forces out of the 89 police stations of Manipur excluding one traffic police station in Imphal – 42 police stations in valley areas and 47 police stations in hill areas.
The Disturbed Area Status has been reimposed in the areas following a deadly clash on November 11 in Borobekra of Manipur’s Jiribam district that left eleven Kuki-Zomi militants dead in the retaliation by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and one CRPF personnel succumbed. The Kuki-Zomi militants gunfire towards civilians and burned down Meitei houses in Jakuradhor Karong under Borobekra Police Station in Jiribam district and two Meitei civilians found dead, another two civilians including one injured were rescued while six women and children including an eight months-old have been abducted by the Kuki-Zomi militants. Reports said dead bodies of two children and one elderly woman of the six abducted are found from Jiri River and taken to Assam’s Silchar Medical College for post mortem.
On the same day, besides the attack in Jiribam, the Kuki-Zomi militants rained down bullets and bombs including rockets at the villages located at peripheral areas of Manipur central valley. They carried out attacks upon Koutruk, Kadangband and Kangchup Chingkhong and Phayeng under Lamshang Police Station in Imphal West district. The attacks began around 7:15 pm by Kuki-Zomi militants, following which both the Central and State forces deployed at Kangchup Chingkhong retaliated.
At around 8.20 pm, Kuki-Zomi militants burned down newly constructed fabricated houses at Porom Ching of Phayeng under Lamsang police station. The fabricated houses were meant for housing police and security forces.
The Kuki-Zomi militants fired rockets from Kharam Vaiphei and Nakhujang around 7.25 pm. The rockets hit several areas at Phumlou and Lairensajik. Some of the rockets failed to explode on hitting the ground.
On the same day, November 11 between 3 to 3:30 pm, a fierce gunfight between Village Volunteers and Kuki-Zomi militants at Leitanpokpi and Dampi Hill Range under Phougakchao Ikhai Police Station in Bishnupur erupted in the aftermath of the fatal killing of a young woman, Sapam Sophia, who was working in the paddyfield in Saiton village was shot dead in an unprovoked terror attack by Kuki-Zomi militants in Bishnupur district on November 9.
Moreover, on November 11, the Kuki-Zomi militants continued firing from Uyokching upon Thamnapokpi Shantikhongbal villages under Yaingangpokpi police station which has been under AFSPA. A 32 year-old farmer Kanshok Horam belonging to the Tangkhul Naga community was injured while he along with nine farmers including eight Tangkhul and one Nepali were working. The other farmers luckily escaped unhurt.
Earlier, on the night of November 9 the Kuki-Zomi militants started attacks at Thamnapokpi and Sanasabi under Yaingangpokpi Police Station in Imphal East district, Manipur. Following Saturday’s attack, Kuki-Zomi militants launched yet another unprovoked attack at midnight, injuring a Mahar Regiment personnel. The attack continued till wee hours around 1.30 am. During the shootout, a Mahar Regiment personnel sustained minor injuries. A stray bullet reportedly scratched his left arm, according to reports.
Amidst these violent attacks by the Kuki-Zomi militants against the Meitei Civilians and Jiribam’s deadly clash, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on November 14, 2024 issued the notification of reimposition of Disturbed Area Status to the areas under the jurisdiction of six police stations, citing the “volatile” situation in Manipur and instances of “active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence”.
In the notification, the MHA stated that a review of the situation in Manipur found that the situation continues to be “volatile” and “intermittent firing in violence prone areas continues in the fringe areas of Bishnupur-Churachandpur, Imphal East-Kangpokpi-Imphal West and Jiribam districts”. It also stated that in many of these incidents, there have been instances of the “active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence”.
The notification also stated that the imposition of the Disturbed Areas status in these six areas was found warranted to “carry out well-coordinated operations by the security forces to maintain the security situation and contain the activities of insurgent groups in these areas”.
During the ongoing violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis since May 3 last year, the Army and Assam Rifles have been demanding that more parts of Manipur be brought under the AFSPA provisions.
Now, the return of AFSPA will provide immunity to the armed forces and 20 more additional companies of CRPF and BSF have been deployed after Jiribam’s deadly clash in Manipur where around 70 thousand personnel of Indian Army and Paramilitary forces are said to have been deployed already. With the additional deployment, Manipur now has a total of 218 companies of central armed police forces, with over 29,000 personnel deployed. This comprises 115 companies from the Central Reserve Police Force, eight from the Rapid Action Force, 84 from the Border Security Force, five from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and six from the Sashastra Seema Bal.
It may be mentioned that hundreds of innocent civilians fell victim under AFSPA. Well documented 1528 fake encounter case still lies before the Supreme Court, India’s highest and apex court.
The heavy militarisation of the very small state, reimposition of the Disturbed Area Status in the areas which have been soft targets for about 19 months of the Kuki-Zomi militants from the surrounding hills where Disturbed Area Status has already been in place and no action is taken against the Kuki-Zomi militants by the Indian Army and the Assam Riffles indicates military crackdown in the areas against the Manipur insurgents.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
