Franchua D'Souza

'Broke Down And Cried': Man Unable To Land Job Despite Trying For 1.5 Years ndtv.com/offbeat/broke-…

As people obsess over the West Bengal election results, something far more dangerous is unfolding in Manipur. Three years later, the #Manipur conflict is no longer just ethnic violence. It has mutated into a complex multi-actor armed conflict involving several insurgent groups, old and new armed organisations and militias, political networks, and countless sophisticated automatic weapons. I have gone through thousands of FIRs out of over 12,000 registered till last year, along with 14 more from just the last two months. Some of the harshest sections in Indian law have been invoked ... including UAPA and the Explosives Act. And yet, not a single case has seen conviction. I repeat: NOT ONE. Even in cases where infants and soldiers were brutally killed using explosives and automatic weapons, the state cannot name the accused. FIR after FIR simply reads: “unknown armed miscreants.” That is how deep the chaos runs in Manipur. Everybody seems to know who is killing whom ... yet nobody can officially prove it. Today, Manipur is arguably the most heavily armed state in India. Members of insurgent groups from Kuki, Meitei and Naga communities have themselves admitted to me that their “boys” are now also operating on a hired basis at times .. often hired by those with political agendas .. targeting civilians and, occasionally, even security personnel, to keep Manipur burning. Sources within networks opposed to Myanmar’s military regime have also confirmed to me, with evidence, that since 2023 large consignments of weapons have been routed into Manipur to different armed groups. Former Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai tells me: “The government does not want the truth out about who started the Manipur conflict. They created the mess and now have no idea how to solve it.” My report. google.com/amp/s/www.alja…

One #KeralaStory from the recent election results that communalists should note: a Muslim majority constituency, Thavanur, elected a Christian, VS Joy; a Hindu majority constituency, Kalamassery, elected a Muslim. VE Abdul Gafoor; and a Christian majority constituency, Kochi, elected a Muslim, Muhammed Shiyas. Despite some influence from the national trends in favour of identity politics, Kerala remains a model of communal harmony, a state where people see human beings first and caste or religion later @incindia @inckerala