Possessing Arms :: Wild West like situation in state
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 22, 2010 -

Even without a cause for some or all people in a particular state to take up arms to rebel against the government and its forces, if there are people (in civilian category) wielding lethal weapons in their hands in individual capacity, the chances of peace in that state are little.

In Manipur, there is no reason at all for peace to prevail, even in dream. Because, there are nearly or over 30 armed groups of various kinds operating in this State. Cadres and activists of all these big and small insurgents and militants outfits, numbering more than 10,000 are all armed with sophisticated lethal weapons.

These weapons, which include automatic rifles, pistols, revolvers, grenades and rocket launchers, light and heavy machineguns, lethod guns, hand-grenades, powerful bombs and so on, are being used by the insurgents/ militants/revolutionaries in their activities.

Besides, there are around 60,000 personnel of the armed forces including the State forces–Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles, India Reserve Battalion, etc who are engaged in maintaining law and order and counter-insurgency operations. Apart from all these armed state and non-state forces, there are thousands of civilians who possess arms under licence, and there are also other people who do not have licence but possess arms illegally.

If all these arms and ammunitions and bombs are collected together and laid out on an open space, they would cover almost a dozen cricket fields. And to think that all these arms and ammunitions are not meant to be some articles of personal adornment but to kill people–either the banned underground insurgents or the security force personnel or plain innocent civilians, it's a dreadful thought indeed.

Thus, guns of different kinds and makes are slowly becoming popular articles among the people of Manipur. Whether possession of a gun is really necessary or not, many seem to think that it's a weapon that can save one's own life and defeat death, if not to shoot dead anyone who picks a fight with him or her.

Once upon a time, natives of this region used to consider it important to keep a spear, a sword and a long ( a multi-sharp-pointed fishing weapon with long handle) in the house for the purpose of self-defence and hunting. Those days are long gone. Now-a-days, sophisticated guns have replaced those ancient weapons.

People who can afford to buy and drive a car that cost a few lakh rupees can easily afford to own a gun that cost about one and half lakh rupees or more. And there are too many people in the state who are just doing that.

There are also people who acquired a licence from the authority to own a gun, but in fact own two to three or even more guns of various kinds. It's not yet known how a licence-holder is allowed to possess as many guns of different makes as he wishes. The authorities concerned need to do a re-check in this regard.

In the meanwhile, it is obvious that guns of different kinds– from 9 mm pistols or .32 revolvers to AK series and bombs–from hand-grenades to IEDs are available in plenty in Manipur. Innumerable arms and ammunitions had been seized from insurgents, fake insurgents and extortionists on innumerable occasions–encounters or fake encounters or during raids and combing operations. But the stores of arms and ammunitions on the other side never seem to run short, nothing to say of coming to an end.

Of course, the arms and ammunitions on the side of the rebel groups would never fall short, for there are enough arms suppliers beyond the boundaries. It's just a question of money. As long as the rebels have money to spend, they'd get supply of arms and ammunitions from someone somewhere.

However, what's worrying is that where are all those arms and ammunitions seized/recovered from the UGs by the Manipur Police, the Assam Rifles, the Army, the CRPF, the BSF and other security forces in Manipur?

There had been occasions when one or other rebel group had claimed that the number of arms and ammunitions seized/recovered by either the Manipur Police Commandos or any of the Central forces was more than the number disclosed by the security force concerned.

If what the UG groups have been saying is true, then some arms and ammunitions had been concealed by Police or SF for an ulterior motive. Such claims have been frequent. Now who will check as to how many weapons and ammunitions had been stashed away?

At least some interesting details, if not the absolute truth, can be dragged out in the open through the RTI Act. There are also whispers that some of those arms seized/recovered by the State or Central security forces are now in the possession of influential people who can afford and have connections.

In all these maze of games played by the state and non-state actors, Manipur is slowly but surely turning toward the situation that used to prevail in the Wild West of the past, where peace and truth were pretty scarce.