What does it take to handle a gun? What does it take to kill four people? And what does it mean to be an insurgent, a separatist and one who suggests plebiscite to the people in his state?
One is not talking about Kashmir this time, but Manipur whose own decided to raise a banner of revolt and instigate his cadres to arm themselves and revolt against the government.
And why this? Because in his perception or judgment, however flawed that may be, justice was not done to Manipur and its people and the instrument of accession when signed by its king was under duress and pressure.
Pitch this against his own grandfather who was hanged by the British for going against them; pitch this against his own brother who was part of the Indian armed forces and fought Pakistan, or against his own daughter-in-law who joined the police service only to quit because she was harassed, thanks to the family she had married into: her father-in-law spent 10 years in jail for waging a war against India.
This is about Rajkumar Meghen, former chairman of Manipur’s insurgent group United National Liberation Front, better known as the UNLF. Formed in 1964, it is the oldest armed separatist group dominated by the Meitei community.
When Meghen took over as its chief, he gave a call for the cadres to take up arms and also law in its hands. “Justice”, he said, “was not done to Manipur”. He grew up on these stories which turned him into a rebel and later insurgent and separatist: something that he calls his “patriotic journey”. A misplaced emotion, but one that he has nurtured and fostered while maintaining that it was “not conditioned by anger”, but a crusade for justice. “I always felt that the taking over of Manipur by the dominion of India was done in a hasty manner”, he said in an interview to a national daily recently.
However skewed it may sound, for Meghen justice means “the right of the people to decide their own future”. “The people of Manipur if they had to decide to join India, they should be the ones deciding it, but it was done otherwise. So, justice was not done and democratic rights of the people of Manipur were not respected. It is a historical baggage that we continue to carry and for me, a matter of sentiment,” he said.
On the issue of his instigating people on what he sees as a “historical mistake”, he said: “It is not a question of instigating, but honouring the desire of the people”.
However, on the logic of scraping wounds rather than letting history remain history, Meghan said: “This can happen only if there is a change of heart on both sides. The government of India needs to accept the reality and make a fresh start. My purpose is not to scrape wounds, but to focus on the current issues engulfing Manipur”.
Spelling out what he thinks is a “better deal” that he has all long hammered, Meghan said the people should have been given the freedom of choice: in other words a plebiscite. “Yes when I was in the organisation, the UNLF had announced this… but that was then”, adding that he has “never been anti-India. Being anti-Indian and being conscious about the rights of Manipur are two different things,” even as he was keen to change the topic and move on.
On the current situation, Meghen said: “The influx of immigrants from across the border has encouraged the Kukis to demand a separate administration. The government of India should have stepped in to stop the violence when it started. That was not done. Why was the violence allowed to continue? Why did the armed forces not contain it? This created an environment of hatred which will remain for a long time to come. It will not go away easily. Today, the people are asking: ‘Is this what the government wants?’ With all the powers at their disposal can’t the government stop the violence? I, for one, want the government to stop the violence and bring in peace. This needs intensive engagement; this needs managing borders and stopping infiltration as also deporting illegal immigrants. It is only after this that conditions of serious engagement for peace can be created. It is only after this that stakeholders can be involved on the way forward at all levels. And for this, all avenues should be explored”.
On ethnic clashes, Meghan sensed a danger of “these being widespread” given that all communities are engaged in conflict. “Kukis are fighting against the Nagas and Meities and this is not going to end. It will become more complex,” he said.
On his policy of arming the cadres as UNLF chief, Meghen said: “Arms were just a means to show resistance. People may think that we were trigger happy and gun-toting people, but no, that was not the case. We never carried out our struggle beyond the boundaries of Manipur; we never targeted civilians. Arms struggle was just a symbol, an expression and desire of our people that their rights should be restored”. When asked how many people he has killed, and he unabashedly said: “four”.
A lot of water has flown under the bridge. Meghen has aged and taken a back seat and redefined his own role. “I want to use my personal contacts to contribute to the larger goal of peace without representing any organisation,” he said.
Call him a separatist, an insurgent, a traitor, a militant or anti-national and he said: “Call me what you want, but I did what I felt was right for my people. I have no regrets at all.” He added: “Even if some people see me as a terrorist, my own people love me,” even as he takes comfort in being referred to as Sana Yaima or precious son of Manipur.
—The writer is an author, journalist and political commentator
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