The tragedy unfolding in Manipur for over a year is no accident. It is not the failure of intelligence, nor the inability of the Indian state to act. It is, in the eyes of many Manipuris, a deliberate prolonging of conflict — a cold calculation by New Delhi to weaken Manipur, suppresses its history, and uses its land as a pawn in India’s larger geopolitical game in Southeast Asia.
The question is simple: if the Government of India truly wanted peace, why has it not acted decisively despite having every intelligence input about the roots of the crisis, the role of illegal immigrants, and the external hands destabilising the region? India has deployed its might across insurgency-hit regions, quelled movements with an iron hand in Punjab, Kashmir, and elsewhere. Yet in Manipur, it chooses hesitation, selective silence, and cosmetic interventions. For the people here, the message is loud and clear — Delhi has no urgency to end the suffering.
Manipur did not join India out of free will; it was coerced into merger in 1949, a fact that remains etched into the collective memory of its people. This is why the current crisis cuts deeper. The state that was once a proud, sovereign kingdom has been reduced to a battlefield where New Delhi’s convenience comes first, and the cries of its citizens come last. The blood and tears of Manipuris are treated as expendable in the grand narrative of “Act East Policy” and “Indo-Pacific Strategy.”
Look at the contradictions. Illegal immigrants pour in through a porous Indo-Myanmar border, bringing drugs and arms that fuel unrest. Yet fencing is slow, half-hearted, and inconsistent. The Free Movement Regime, which allows unchecked crossing, was suspended only after years of demand, but enforcement remains lax. If India can guard its western borders with drones, radars, and military precision, why does it leave its eastern frontier wide open? The answer, many here believe, is deliberate neglect — a strategy to destabilise Manipur so that its people remain too fractured to challenge Delhi’s control.
New Delhi’s indifference is also political. A strong and united Manipur, conscious of its unique history and identity, poses uncomfortable questions about the legitimacy of its merger. A Manipur torn by ethnic strife, displacement, and mistrust, on the other hand, is easier to govern and easier to silence. The longer the crisis drags, the weaker Manipur becomes — and the stronger Delhi’s grip tightens. This is not governance; this is subjugation by design.
Meanwhile, the suffering on the ground is unbearable. Thousands displaced, hundreds killed, entire communities living in fear. Volunteer groups are forced to guard villages because the state machinery has abdicated its responsibility. Yet New Delhi pretends that time will heal all wounds while it pushes ahead with highways, transit projects, and trade corridors meant to serve its Southeast Asia ambitions. What is development worth when the people who are supposed to benefit are left to die or flee their homes?
This is the hypocrisy of India’s Northeast policy: using Manipur as a bridge to the outside world while treating Manipuris as collateral damage. The government talks of national security, but refuses to act on intelligence that points to the destabilising role of foreign-backed groups and illegal settlers. It speaks of development, but ignores the dignity and rights of those whose land makes that development possible.
Let us be clear: the Manipur crisis continues not because Delhi cannot end it, but because Delhi does not want to end it — not yet. A fractured Manipur suits its geopolitical designs. A bleeding Manipur is a controlled Manipur.
But this strategy is a dangerous gamble. A people repeatedly betrayed will not forget. Generations will grow up remembering that when they cried out for justice, the government turned its back. And history will record not the strength of India’s strategy, but the cruelty of its neglect.
The people of Manipur deserve peace, dignity, and recognition of their history — not to be reduced to pawns in a chessboard of geopolitics. Until New Delhi acts with sincerity and resolve, the burning question will remain: does India want peace in Manipur, or does it want Manipur broken to serve its own ends?