Manipur Violence: What Are the Biggest Lessons for India? 

The entire nation has been watching the horrific visuals of the Manipur violence over the past couple of months. Although I believe that several important steps are being taken to curb the current turbulent conditions in the state, we must also pay attention to the takeaways from these events. The media coverage has explained the reason behind this violence, i.e., the ethnic problems in Manipur, in great detail, but there is much more to this matter than ethnic problems. Here are some of the biggest lessons we must learn from the Manipur violence vis-a-vis our national security.  

Important to monitor China’s plans to destabilise India’s north-east  

China has always kept an eye on India’s northeast, as it claims a big portion of the region to be a part of its own territory. Hence, it is only in China’s interest that states like Manipur remain unstable, just like Jammu and Kashmir did over decades before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. India’s northern neighbour has been actively involved in efforts to destabilise the northeast by funding NGOs that protest developmental programs in the region. The situation in Manipur can prove to be of great benefit to China if it worsens because an atmosphere of chaos can spread to their bordering states. If that happens, China will be in a position of advantage, and its army can very well try to infiltrate the region and take control.  

Developing bipartisan unity when it comes to national security and sovereignty  

Not being united in times of peril has historically been India’s biggest weakness. Our enemies have always taken advantage of our internal differences – be it Mughals, Khiljis, Mongols, British and other invaders who ruled India for decades and centuries. Unfortunately, our internal division still overshadows our national security, which is evidently visible in our politics today. The government and opposition leader need to stand united and work together to solve and diffuse the situation in Manipur; instead, politicians are busy fighting each other over petty political gains. The Indian Parliament still remains at a standstill because of loud sloganeering and protests instead of factual discussions and bipartisan unity. If we truly aspire to become a global superpower, we will need absolute political maturity, unity and patriotism across all political parties on issues relating to internal security and external interests.   

Ramping up police strength and providing them with better resources  

Every police force in the country faces a shortage of staff and resources. Policemen of all ranks, but especially the lower ranks, are also paid below-par salaries. If we want our police force to perform well, we must be willing to invest heavily in them. In Manipur’s case, the mob that harassed and assaulted the two women caught hold of them after attacking the police, who were greatly outnumbered by them. We need to increase police recruits, provide them with the best resources and weapons and widen their presence throughout the country to bring about a difference. It must be India’s top priority to modernise and increase our police force to ensure that India is completely secure internally so that we can focus on external threats like China and Pakistan. 

Image source: PTI / pm.gov.in