The report lays part of the blame on @NBirenSingh's "political authoritarianism & ambition" for inflaming the conflict.

Why is this important?

This is the first time a candid assessment of a govt agency on the #ManipurConflict has made it to the public domain.

It validated what I had witnessed over 9 months of reporting from the frontlines of the #Manipuconflict -- talking to Meiteis, Kuki-Zos, Nagas, Pangals+ -- aggrieved displaced ppl, politicians, officials, "village volunteers",  those close to armed groups, religious heads etc.

‍

The #Manipurconflict goes beyond the simple majority vs minority division. Across communities, I saw how those with access to brute power broke the law with impunity, non-actors were legitimised & common people became foot-soldiers of the physical & propaganda war.

What happened in Manipur, was the forceful dismantling of democracy, made worse by the Centre turning a blind eye -- intentionally or unintentionally.

And the report by the Assam Rifles's officials was the 1st evidence of its kind that pointed to aspects of what I had seen.

But, before I delve into the details of the Assam Rifles's report on the #Manipurconflict, just a small request.

Articles like this take months of reporting from the frontlines of conflict-hit areas. So, consider donating to The Reporters' Collective.

A basic question: was the #Manipurconflict about religion?

The Assam Rifles's report indicates otherwise: Biren Singh's "war on drugs" & "apprehension of vocal social media dissent".

It also highlights the impact of “illegal immigrants” from Myanmar.

Read the first part of this series here.

The report by the Assam Rifles' officials also highlights the impact of demands 4 NRC & ‘Kukiland’ &  "Meitei Revivalism" (under this, it lists Meitei Leepun & Arambai Tenggol).

+ it cites “state forces’ tacit support” in #Manipurviolence& “dismemberment of law-and-order”.

So, we know that the immediate factors behind the #Manipurconflict are much more multilayered (more on the drug trade in part 2).

How can we understand it from the trigger to the current situation?  The Assam Rifles's report notes three stages - "initiate", "mutate" "stalemate".

The 3 stages of the #Manipurconflict in the Assam Rifles report etch the conflict from the riots that  came after protests by tribal groups on May 3  ('initiate') to shifting of violence to villages, involvement of armed groups ('mutate') & 'stalemate' (low-grade violence)

I accessed and analysed (with a LOT of help) 8,169 FIRs from May & June as evidence to decode the chaotic events of the 'initiate' period of the #Manipurconflict.

The Assam Rifles' report had estimated 79 Kuki-Zo & 18 Meitei deaths in that time.

View the table here.

And after nearly a year of conflict, this is where we are in Manipur.

Despite, 60,000 armed personnel being deployed to Manipur, the intermittent fighting continues. And now on April 19 & April 26, general elections will be held here.

According to PM Modi, the situation in Manipur hs seen a marked improvement due to the intervention of the govt.

Could the Centre have done more?

I was told: "The CM should have been thrown out..the army, police should have gone on overdrive & taken control..but eventually, it was allowed to continue because when it simmers, your voting aggregate increases."

Read the report on Al Jazeera website here.

We now know the immediate triggers of the #Manipurconflict.

But, what about the rhetoric that was waged in the 11 months of the war.

Meitei groups blamed Kuki-Zos for "narco-terrorism" & Kukis blamed @NBirenSingh govt of majoritarian rule.

Read the second part of this series here.

The truth, however, is more complex & implicates people of both the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in a complex web of politics, drug trade and insurgency.

Manipur is adjacent to the infamous "golden triangle", which has recently, extended into Manipur.

This was because of factors including the involvement of armed groups.

Recently manufacturing units have come up across Manipur, & a cruder version came to replace heroin. According to an estimate, Manipur's drug economy accounts for Rs. 700 billion per year (the state's annual income is Rs 400 billion!).

Around the time that drugs started being manufactured in Manipur, Chief Minister @NBirenSingh announced his war on drugs. His plan: was to destroy poppy fields.

Then, five months later, his intentions were put to the test.

The then ASP in the state's Narcotics Bureau, @th_brinda, revealed that the Manipur CM was pressuring her to drop a case against an alleged 'drug kingpin’.  The 'drug kingpin', Lhukhosei Zou, @th_brinda alleged, had links to his wife, SS Olish.

Eventually, the arrested 'drug kingpin',  was acquitted of all charges and all those named by @th_brinda in her affidavit denied their role in the drug trade before the courts & in public statements. None were convicted of any offences.

Read this report published in collaboration with Al Jazeera on their website here.

With accusations against him petering off, the CM in 2022 claimed again his war on drugs was going well.

So could a disequilibrium in the drug trade be the real cause of the #Manipurconflict? There is no evidence but the fight at the border town of Moreh was an indication.

People across communities in Manipur, I spoke to, consistently echoed that the fight for Moreh, at the Indo-Myanmar border, particularly by the armed groups was an important and strategic fight.

Meanwhile, this complex web of allegiances hs also played out in electoral politics.

The same Kuki-Zo MLAs, who started demanding a separate state during the #Manipurconflict, had backed Chief Minister Singh in 2022 with the overt support of the Kuki armed groups.

And despite holding @BirenSingh responsible, the Kuki leaders in the BJP have not resigned.

One of Kuki-Zo MLAs told me about their decision not to resign: the majoritarian government is interested in making them resign & conduct by-elections.

This doesn't check out as a CM Biren Singh-endorsed candidate can't win in the Kuki-dominated areas as of today.

Here's where this hotchpotch of drug trade, politics & armed groups has left Manipur: a physical division along ethnic lines runs between the Meitei and Kuki areas with gun-toting men guarding on both sides.

But, "the drugs can still go everywhere".

This series definitely took a village, or in this case, an entire state.

I am deeply grateful to the people of Manipur for opening up about their lives during this incredibly hard time. To all my sources and friends from both sides, THANK YOU.

I can't thank my editors @nit_set and @mbahree enough for entrusting me with this project, tolerating ALL the delays & shaping the story into what it is today.

@harshithamanwan meticulously & patiently helped me scour & transfer data from 8169 FIRs.

Also, @mohan_dta, Aryan Chaudhary and @phukoaurfocault, were of incredible help with the FIRs. Finally, the teams at @reporters_co and @AJEnglish for breathing life into the series.

You can follow my work here: https://anganachakrabarti.com

‍

Read the #ManipurViolence series here.

And support @reporters_co.