AFSPA: BJP retains power, ban lifted in Manipur in 2022

Imphal: This year has been significant for Manipur as the controversial AFSPA and liquor ban, which had been in place for many years, were partially lifted even as the BJP led by Chief Minister N Baran Singh led a high-profile He retained power in the assembly elections.

However, tragedy struck Manipur as 58 people, including 29 army personnel, lost their lives in a massive landslide at the under-construction Toupul railway yard in Noney district, one of the worst natural disasters in the northeastern state.
A record turnout of 90.28 per cent was seen in polling on 60 assembly seats in two phases on February 28 and March 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned in the state, urging people to vote the BJP back to power. To secure the future of Manipur for the next 25 years.

The saffron party made history in the polls, winning 32 seats, 11 more than its tally in the 2017 polls, when it first formed the government in the northeastern state.
The Congress, on the other hand, fared poorly, winning only five seats, down from 28 in the previous election. Several Congress heavyweights, including former deputy chief minister Gaikhangam Gangmei and the party’s then state chief N Loken Singh, faced resounding defeats.

The Janata Dal (United) and the National People’s Party (NPP) fared well, winning six and seven seats respectively, while the Naga People’s Front (NPF) won five and the newly formed Kuki People’s Alliance two. why

However, the JD(U) suffered a setback as five of its six legislators left the Nitish Kumar-led party to join the BJP in early September.
Despite the BJP’s clear majority, all non-Congress parties except the saffron outfit’s former ally the NPP supported the new government. The BJP legislature party unanimously elected Biren Singh as its leader after a 10-day deadlock after the results were announced on March 10. Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister for a second term on March 21.

Several important decisions were taken in the first year of the second term of the BJP government in the state.

The Home Ministry on March 31 removed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from the jurisdiction of 15 police stations in six districts of Manipur.
The move was welcomed by all the constituencies but the NPF and Congress demanded withdrawal of AFSPA from across the state. The partial repeal of the impugned Act did not cover Naga or Kuki inhabited districts.

The act, which rights activists have described as “draconian”, gives security forces extraordinary powers to search premises in areas deemed “troubled”, arrest without warrant.

BJP’s ally NPF said its movement was to remove AFSPA from the entire Northeast and not just certain areas, while the Congress said the partial withdrawal was just the beginning, while the legislation from across Manipur. demanded to be removed.
In June, the state cabinet approved the adoption of 1961 as the base year for determining the “native” status of people for the effective implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Manipur. The ILP came into effect in the state on January 1, 2020 after years of demand by various social organizations.

Tragedy struck the state on the midnight of June 30 when a massive landslide occurred at the Tupul railway yard on the under-construction Jirabam-Imphal line.

In this incident, 58 people including 29 soldiers of the 107th Regional Army were killed and 18 were injured. The National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force were deployed and the intensive rescue operation was finally called off on July 20.
Ethnic tensions also flared in August when the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM), the state’s apex body of tribal students, staged a strike demanding autonomy for Manipur (the hilly areas). An economic blockade was imposed on the highways of the state surrounded by The District Council Bill, 2021, which could give more administrative autonomy to the hilly regions of the state.

After a vehicle was set on fire in Bishnupur district, the administration suspended mobile internet services across the state for several days.
On the other hand, a civil body based in the valley, Meitei Leepun, locked the Imphal office of the ATSUM and claimed that the blockade was aimed at causing inconvenience to the residents of the valley. After the situation gradually returned to normal, mobile internet service was restored.

The state government took a bold step in September, lifting the ban on production and sale of liquor from certain areas to raise revenue and curb the consumption of illicit liquor.

The ban was lifted from district headquarters, hotels with at least 20 beds and security camps, while a receipt is required for transporting liquor.
The move evoked mixed reactions, with some sections expressing happiness, while other social organizations, such as the Canadian Association for Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) and Nupi Samaj, condemned the move and periodically called for the decision. Organized dharna demonstrations demanding its cancellation.

Several rebels also surrendered to the Chief Minister during the year. In November, 31 militants from five organizations surrendered, while 14 insurgents from another organization surrendered in June.