It’s not just Manipur that’s burning...

Manipur is burning. But that’s not news. ‘News’ is supposed to bring something new, right? Everyday routine does not make headlines.

It’s no longer news that ethnic violence in Manipur has been smouldering for 17 months… that violence has erupted again... that 10 more innocent lives have been lost... that the death toll might now have crossed 200... that internet services remain suspended across most parts of the state... that curfews were imposed, but normalcy still hasn’t returned... that the government continues to claim things are under control, even though around 60,000 displaced persons are spending their second winter in refugee camps...

...that security forces have admitted they can’t stop the ongoing violence between the two communities... that the former head of Assam Rifles has blurted that Manipur’s police are split into Meitei and Kuki forces... that an invisible border, like an international one, now exists within Manipur, where armed ethnic militias — not the security forces — decide who gets through, based on whether they are Meitei or Kuki... that both sides have bunkers now... and anyone crossing to the other side gets shot...

...that the chief minister of the state can’t even enter Kuki-dominated areas... that Kuki MLAs can’t go anywhere near the Assembly... that nobody knows who is really running the state anymore... that the chief minister is there but not quite there...

...that since violence broke out in Manipur, Prime Minister Modi has visited Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia, America, Egypt, France, the UAE, South Africa, Greece, Indonesia, Qatar, Bhutan, Italy, Russia, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Brunei, Singapore, and has upcoming visits to the US, Laos, Samoa, Russia, Azerbaijan and Brazil — but there’s no word on when he might visit Manipur.

“Oh, but that’s just Manipur, right? What’s it got to do with us? It’s not Mumbai, where even a car accident makes news! And what is this Meitei versus Kuki fight anyway? Now, if there was a Hindu-Muslim angle, you’d have a real story. Get me something dramatic, some masala, something our readers will care about! Oh, and by the way, it’s a BJP-run state. Now, if it were an opposition-ruled state with a story of ‘jungle raj’, that would be a headline. Bring me something juicy!”

Well, let me try to offer you something new, something ‘exciting’!

Here’s your headline: the Meitei and Kuki fighters in Manipur aren’t just shooting at each other with rifles anymore. Nope, they’ve upgraded. Recently, there were reports of drones and rocket launchers being used in the fight. And no, it’s not a rumour — the Manipur police confirmed it. So, I guess we’re just waiting for tanks and armoured vehicles to roll in. Will that be ‘newsworthy’?

How about this? Even the majority Meitei community, which is mostly Hindu, has lost faith in chief minister Biren Singh. First, the Kuki community accused him of being blatantly pro-Meitei and boycotted him. Singh used that to his advantage, becoming the ‘Meitei hero’. But this is where divisive politics always leads — sooner or later, even your supporters turn on you. How long before we get the breaking news that Singh is out of the CM’s chair?

Or here’s a story for you: Manipur seems to be in and out of President’s rule without anyone even noticing. The chief minister himself wrote to the governor asking for control of law and order to be handed back to him. Yes, he’s asking for the powers that the Constitution already grants him!

Currently, the state’s law and order is under the control of a security advisor appointed by the Central government. Just imagine if this exchange of fire had happened in an opposition-ruled state. Wouldn’t it be a huge scandal? Could we talk about the Union home minister’s failure to handle national security? Would that be newsworthy?

But here’s some positive news: Manipur is finally starting to speak up. Bimol Akoijam, the newly elected MP from the Manipur valley, gave a historic midnight speech in Parliament. While the prime minister spoke, the Opposition kept chanting “Manipur, Manipur”. Is that a ‘feel-good’ story for you?

Or should I share another story? It’s not about Manipur, but about the brutish heartlessness of Delhi, the silence that grips the nation, the darkness that fills our hearts. What’s burning isn’t just Manipur, it’s the dream called India, it’s the lyrics of the song we grew up on — ‘Saare jahan se acchha Hindustan hamara...’