Life under threat

Till last October, Noney was a village in the Naga-dominated Tamenglong district of Manipur, which borders Nagaland in the north. In October, however, a district named Noney was carved out of Tamenglong, Imphal West and Senapati districts, thereby creating a region with equal representation of Nagas, Kukis and Meiteis. The Manipur government created six other such districts, merging Naga-dominated areas with non-Naga villages. The Nagas erupted in protest, blocking two of the highways connecting Manipur to rest of the country. The blockade has continued for more than three months, pushing up the prices of essential commodities and shattering the state’s economy.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, however, told THE WEEK that his government created the new districts as allocation of Central funds was based on the number of districts. “The more the districts, the more the funds from the Central government,” he said.

When THE WEEK visited Noney village paramilitary forces were on alert to disperse the protestors there. Apparently, the Election Commission had asked the home ministry to control the situation in view of the assembly elections. Military trucks were seen escorting hundreds of trucks, loaded with commodities, into the state.

As I tried to talk to some of the protestors, an officer rushed to stop me and whispered: “Don’t go anywhere. Anything could happen to you here. Just remain on the highway so we can see you. Don’t think of going into the village.” Forces have been deployed from Jiribam to Imphal West, covering 300km of highways in Manipur.

However, Sesa Tasi, a local trader, said, “The forces are active during day, but once the sun sets, people from all over, including hundreds of women, come and block the road till morning. The chief minister wants us, the Nagas, to lose our character. He is dividing us. But, we are ready to fight.”

Ibobi Singh denied the allegation against him. He told THE WEEK that Manipur was a mini India and he would retain that tag. “The division of districts was purely based on administrative needs,” he said. “I will not bow down to any community and would rather retain the secular and diverse identity of Manipur.”

He said he would never let the Central government force him to accept the “whims and policy of domination of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah)” just because it is in peace talks with the Centre for the creation of a Naga-only state. “I have clearly told the prime minister [Narendra Modi] and the home minister [Rajnath Singh] that I would never accept a sovereign state for Nagas and allow Manipur to be broken. I am ready to face any consequence,” Ibobi Singh told THE WEEK.

On alert: A jawan keeping a close watch on the Imphal-Jiribam road | Salil Bera

He said the blockade was a continuation of what had happened seven years ago, when he asked the Manmohan Singh government not to surrender before the insurgent groups. He recounted, with a smile, his ideological battle with then home minister P. Chidambaram. In 2010, as part of a ceasefire agreement, the Centre had allowed NSCN(IM) leader T. Muivah to visit his native village in Ukhrul, Manipur. Ibobi Singh opposed the decision. “Hundreds of Manipuri leaders, including one chief minister, were shot dead by NSCN(IM) terrorists,” he said he told Chidambaram. “Muivah was the real brain behind these attacks. How would these families forget that? How would I forget that?”

His face turned grim as he said: “I told the home minister that I would arrest Muivah if he tried to enter Ukhrul.”

Apparently, Chidambaram then asked Ibobi Singh to come to Delhi for a discussion. He initially refused, saying that his state needed in at that “hour of crisis”, but relented after then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee intervened.

“I went to Delhi at the request of Pranab-da and attended the meeting where Chidambaram, Pranab-da and A.K. Antony [then defence minister] were present,” said Ibobi Singh. “I told all three senior ministers that I would not be responsible for anything that might happen to Muivah.”

When the ministers continued to persuade him, Ibobi Singh offered to resign so that they could continue with their policy of arranging the trip for Muivah.

When prime minister Manmohan Singh was told about Ibobi Singh’s stance, Muivah’s visit was cancelled. Even now, when talks under Modi have supposedly reached a crucial stage, Muivah has not been allowed into Ukhrul.

Said a Manipur cabinet minister: “His visit was just to instigate peace-loving Manipuri Nagas. What else would he have done there? Are any of his relatives still alive? Our chief minister did the right thing by blocking his entry.”

His stand, says the chief minister, landed him on the hit list of insurgent groups. In fact, he said, he survived multiple attacks, including one by the NSCN(IM) last October. Describing himself as one of the most vulnerable politicians in India, Ibobi Singh told THE WEEK: “I am really feeling low. I could never imagine that a chief minister would be treated like this by the Central government. What are they doing with my attackers? It is unbelievable.”

He slammed the Centre for trying to appease the NSCN(IM). “Manipur must be made part of the peace talks with Naga insurgents,” he said. “I would not accept any agreement that talks about sovereignty of Nagas or the breaking of Manipur.”

State Congress president T.N. Haokip also criticised the Modi government for its perceived closeness to the NSCN(IM). “How could they talk about federalism when they are appeasing an insurgent group that wanted to take our chief minister’s life?” he asked. “The same insurgent group, under a different name, is running the blockade in Manipur. I am ashamed that the Central government could not control these Naga terror groups.”

Recently, the police in Manipur were allegedly forced to release NSCN insurgents who were part of the group that attacked Ibobi Singh in October. “The Manipur Rifles, who were accompanying the chief minister’s security team, caught five of them,” said a top police officer. “But, all of them were granted bail within a couple of days as there was pressure from the paramilitary forces.”

Said Ibobi Singh: “We had to [release the militants] as they were in peace talks with the Central government. When they were being produced in court, there was a law and order situation in the area. Women lay on the road demanding their release, and finally we had to succumb.”

Rajnath Singh’s office refused to talk about Ibobi Singh’s accusations, and said: “He is busy with the elections and would not be able to talk.”

The Manipur state BJP, however, refuted the chief minister’s claim that the Centre was compromising his security. “The chief minister has a police force in his command. It’s a pity that his own force has failed to secure his life,” said Nimbas Singh, BJP state general secretary. “Ibobi Singh had divided the Naga-dominated districts just before the election. Why did he not do it before, if it was necessary? He wanted political mileage from it.”

The United Naga Council, which has blocked the highways, told THE WEEK in a statement that it would be willing to engage the Manipur government, only if the meeting was held outside Manipur, preferably in Delhi or Nagaland. The council brushed aside allegations that it has been working at the behest of the NSCN(IM). “All Naga people have a single motto, which is to serve the purpose of common Nagalim state,” said the UNC spokesman. The Union home ministry has asked Ibobi Singh to sit for talks with the Nagas.

Ibobi Singh’s house, meanwhile, has become a fortress, and one has to clear several rounds of security checks to meet him. At the moment, it seems like he is, in fact, India’s most vulnerable chief minister.