Hello, everyone. Good morning, afternoon or evening, and welcome to this edition of Notes from South Asia. You can find all the articles in the series here (along with my other diaries).
Today, we will cover violence in India’s Manipur, Sovereignty, Election and Governance in Maldives, and Taliban in Afghanistan.
India
Manipur in Violence
Have you heard of cops protesting majoritarian violence? Well, we have come to that in Manipur. The Manipur police laid down their arms to protest the Meitei militia Arambai Tenggol’s extortion and assault. Arambai Tenggol has support from the state. Manipur Police accuse radical outfit Arambai Tengol of extortion, assault, Vijaita Singh reports.
In its first official confirmation of the criminal havoc being caused by a popular and radical Meitei group, the Manipur Police on Thursday said that Arambai Tenggol is engaged in many “anti-social activities”, such as assaulting civilians, snatching vehicles from the public and government officials, and extortion from businessmen.
The group, which enjoys the support of the Meitei people in the State’s valley areas, gained prominence after ethnic riots between the Meitei and the tribal Kuki-Zo people erupted in the State on May 3, 2023.
Two days after Arambai Tenggol members attacked a senior police officer, the State Police said in a statement that the outfit is garnering false support from the public in the guise of protecting the people but are actually committing many anti-social activities and criminal acts.
They kidnapped a police officer after the police acted against a constable who seems to have supported the Arambai Tenggol.
The Scroll reports that 219 people have been killed in Manipur since the violence started last May.
The ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities in Manipur has led to the death of 219 persons and displaced 60,000 people since May 3, the state’s Governor Anusuiya Uikey said on Wednesday.
Uikey shared the information as part of her address to the Legislative Assembly.
Since the violence began, the police took 1.87 lakh persons under preventive detention and released them after legal formalities. About 10,000 first information reports have been registered in connection with the violence.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating 29 of these cases and the National Investigation Agency is probing one case. Four more cases will be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation and another five to the National Investigation Agency, Uikey said.
She also said that 198 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and 140 Army columns have been deployed in the state to maintain law and order. The Central Armed Police Forces is the collective name used for central paramilitary units such as the Assam Rifles that report to the Union home ministry.
“A committee to audit the arms and ammunition snatched by miscreants and recovery of the same was also constituted,” she said. “Intelligence based operations continue to be conducted for recovery of snatched weapons.”
Meiteis are the majority and this is majoritarian violence irrespective of the fact that Kuki people also took up arms.
Bulldozing Justice
Elsewhere, Muslims are subject to destruction in the name of justice. Santosh Singh reports for the Indian Express that almost all victims of mob lynching and bulldozer culture are underprivileged caste (Pasmanda) Muslims.
The All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM), an organisation working for backward Muslims, released a report based on the Bihar caste survey on Tuesday, while demanding that the Centre bring in a stringent law against mob lynching and check “bulldozer culture” against the accused in a crime, claiming that almost all the victims of both such excesses belong to the Pasmanda community.
The report, which was released in Delhi, also seeks reservation for Pasmanda Muslims in private sectors, given their poor socio-economic conditions. [...]
The AIPMM report ‘Bihar Caste Survey 2022-2023 and Pasmanda Agenda’ says: “Ninety-five per cent of the victims of mob lynching and excesses by government bulldozers belong to the Pasmanda community. Our demand is that a strict law be made against this. The Collector and SP of the district where such an incident occurs should be made accountable for it. In such incidents, compensation should be given to the family of the deceased and a government job should be given to a person from that family.”
The report also sets an agenda for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including a demand for “reservation in private sectors”.
They also refer to the Bihar socio-economic survey (or caste census) to point out the perilous economic condition of Muslims in Bihar.
Mehul Malpani has a report for the Hindu on Fast-tracked bulldozer justice in Madhya Pradesh
Just 2 km from Langri’s house is 52-year-old Ashraf Hussain’s Indian Soda Shop. Above the ground floor, a green curtain shrouds the two demolished floors of his ancestral home. Most of it was bulldozed in July 2023, days after his sons — Adnan Mansoori, 18, and a minor — were among three arrested in the Ujjain Mahakal procession spitting case. The alleged incident took place on July 17 when the trio, standing on the terrace of a building, was accused of spitting at Mahakal Sawari, a Hindu religious procession.
Hazy videos, purportedly showing the boys spitting on the procession, went viral on the Internet. Hussain says the videos spread in the area, and some Hindutva outfits created an uproar. “Within an hour, an FIR was registered, and the boys were arrested,” he says.
Just as the family was struggling to deal with the shock of police station visits, the authorities issued a notice “saying that the house was old, in a poor condition, and was a safety threat”. An hour later, the bulldozers arrived at the family’s door, a heavy police force accompanying them. “My two young sons had been arrested. I was running around to get them out, and suddenly they came to demolish my house. I had no clue what to do and whom to approach at that time,” Hussain says with tears in his eyes. His wife had not eaten for days since the arrests. Hindutva outfits played drums as the rubble came tumbling down, he remembers.
Sultan, a neighbour who ran a paan shop, tried to reason with the officials about documents and legalities. A bulldozer, Hussain recalls, turned towards his small shop and tore it down. “This scared other neighbours too, and the fear of being seen as close to us still lingers in most minds in the locality,” he says.
The people wanted to know why the Hindu’s reporter was there.
There is still palpable tension in the neighbourhood, with people asking The Hindu’s team questions in hushed voices about its motive behind speaking with Hussain or taking pictures of the demolished structure. Farhan Gori, a local independent journalist and another neighbour of Hussain, says, “The whole incident was created to benefit the ruling party. At the time, the BJP was believed to be losing the upcoming Assembly election [in November 2023]. All the surveys were against them. Incidents like these were used to breathe some air into their prospects.”
Neither the government nor the police are interested in the case now, but local BJP leaders referred to the incident during the election campaigning and thumped their chests, says Gori.
The story starts with a Hindu family’s house being bulldozed, but it is not a secret that the tactic is most used against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, Uttara Khand, and now Madhya Pradesh. People are arrested on false charges, and then, their homes are razed to the ground. No trial, no court. Only destruction.
Justice in the world of majoritarianism and masculinity.
And last but the least,
On the Art of Regional Stories
Abhinay Deshpande writes for Reporters’ Notepad series in the Hindu about the unseen and at times unacknowledged regional reporters (and others) who help a reporter from the national and international media write a story: The silent architects behind compelling stories
In this process, I have encountered many people who I consider the silent architects behind the most compelling stories. They are regional journalists. I try to meet many of them in person, but most of our interactions have largely been over the phone. These journalists have an in-depth understanding of the local landscape and have connections in every nook and corner. They remain behind the scenes and rarely seek recognition. They offer invaluable guidance and insights and don’t expect to be quoted or mentioned in the final piece. They help simply because they share the reporter’s goal of shining a torch on truths that might otherwise remain obscured.
Recently, I interacted with Bhagwat Taware, a regional journalist from Beed, and Kailash Tawar, an insurance agent and farmer from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where I went to report on farmer suicides. They had taken time off their routine work to help me comprehend the issue and engage with more people. They travelled with me in their respective districts.
It is not just reporters from the metros and from English language publications who seek their assistance; foreign journalists rely heavily on them too. They are the sources we cannot do without. They even take pride in seeing their contributions acknowledged indirectly when the journalists who report the story that they helped unearth receive awards.
Beyond their role as information providers, these people also extend hospitality. They treat us as guests.[...]
At times, I feel that they take my reporting more seriously than even I do. During our interactions with the families of farmers who had passed away in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mr. Tawar, having grasped my interviewing style, initiated the conversation himself and prepared the interviewees for the camera. He even asked me to interview one farmer’s family, which was not scheduled, saying, “They have an interesting story to tell”.
In February last year, when I visited Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to report on how a woman and her family were left shattered by the gruesome killing of a nine-year-old tribal boy in a case of human sacrifice, Krunal Tailor, a local journalist who had covered the case extensively, accompanied me to the victim’s family’s house and even played the role of translator.
They do this in the hope that the issues they face reach more people—reach people in power—and something changes for the better. This is also applicable to international reporters reporting in other countries and regions.
Maldives
Indian Army Out
Suhasini Haidar reports for the Hindu that the Ministry of External Affairs, India has confirmed that Indian technical team will replace military personnel in Maldives.
The government confirmed on Thursday that a team of Indian technical personnel have landed in Maldives to replace military troops that have been operating aircraft there. The development indicates a compromise between the Modi government and the recently elected Muizzu government on the contentious issue of Indian troops stationed in the Maldives that had become the target of the “India Out” campaign run by the ruling party.
“The first team of technical personnel to operate the advanced light helicopter at Gan has reached Maldives. It will replace the existing personnel that were until now operating this platform. So that is where we are,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in response to questions about the move, that was first announced by the Maldives government on Wednesday. Mr. Jaiswal did not indicate the number of troops being replaced in the first batch, of a total 88 Indian military personnel understood to be stationed in the Maldives.
The confirmation also marks a major climbdown by New Delhi, that had earlier refused to withdraw the troops, including in 2018 when former President Abdulla Yameen had demanded the removal of Indian military personnel on several occasions, even refusing to extend their visas. After Mr. Yameen was defeated in elections by President Ibu Solih, the issue had subsided, but was revived as a campaign plank by President Mohammad Muizzu, who won elections in November 2023 and made the return of Indian military personnel a “priority”.
I did not know India had refused to withdraw the personnel after the Maldivian government asked them to in 2018. This sounds like the US in Iraq. Glad the MEA decided to withdraw now. Ridiculous people throwing their weight around like that. And they speak of sovereignty when Rihanna and Greta Thunberg tweet about farmer’s protests.
It does appear though that Indian-Maldivian relations are on the mend.
With the first step towards resolving the contentious issue seemingly taken, India and Maldives indicated that they were restoring progress in some of their other areas of strategic cooperation. On Sunday, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives completed the latest round of biennial trilateral maritime exercises called “Dosti-16” held between their coast guard services. Speaking at the inauguration of the exercises, where Bangladesh participated as an observer, Maldivian Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon said that the Muizzu government “places the highest priority on ensuring that close relations, peace and stability is maintained between Maldives and neighbouring nations”.
Governance and Elections
Mariyath Mohamed writes for the Edition that Maldives has launched its first national air ambulance services.
The National Air Ambulance services have been launched in Maldives today, the first time a service of its kind has been officially established in the country.
Commencement of air ambulance services was key amongst the presidential pledges of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.
A Dash 8 airplane and a seaplane from Maldivian airlines has been repurposed to be used in this service. The changes brought to the aircrafts include equipment and resources to facilitate medical aid necessary for patients being transported in the flights.
A statement released by the Ministry of Health said that the flights, commenced today, would transport patients to the nearest tertiary medical facility across the country in situations needing medical evacuations.
The statement further informed that the flights themselves would be equipped with the facilities and resources to provide first aid care, and would have a crew of 15 health professionals trained in the field, including 5 doctors, 5 nurses and 5 emergency medical technicians.
The service will be available around the clock, the Ministry confirmed.
The other major news is that the Maldives election that was postponed because of Ramadan has been scheduled for April 21. Naizak Mohamed reports for the Sun.
Elections Commission (EC), on Thursday night, has decided to hold the parliamentary elections delayed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s ratification of the bill to amend the General Elections Act on April 21st.
The parliamentary elections was initially scheduled for March 17th – which falls within the first week of Ramadan.
President Muizzu, at the advice of the Attorney General, ratified the bill which bans holding national elections during Ramadan. The ratification of the bill means the election can only be held 10 days after Ramadan ends.
EC convened for an emergency meeting following the ratification.
Sun has learned that the commission decided to move the election date to April 21st during this meeting.
Afghanistan
Taliban Declines to Attend UN Meeting
Al Jazeera reports that the Taliban has snubbed the UN.
The Taliban has set unacceptable conditions for attending a United Nations-sponsored meeting about Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, Doha, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says.
“I received a letter [from the Taliban] with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable,” Guterres said at a news conference on Monday.
“These conditions denied us the right to talk to other representatives of Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, to a large extent, be similar to recognition,” the UN chief added.
The two-day meeting which ended on Monday in Doha brought together member states and international envoys to Afghanistan to discuss an array of issues facing the country. But the Taliban didn’t attend because its demands were not met.
The Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021 after United States and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of war.
However, no country recognises it as Afghanistan’s government, and the UN has said that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place.
And Carries Out Public Executions
The Hindu (and many others really) reports that Taliban held its third public execution in the past five days (AP report from three days ago).
The Taliban held a public execution on February 26 of a man convicted of murder in northern Afghanistan as thousands watched at a sports stadium, the third such death sentence to be carried out in the past five days.
The execution took place in heavy snowfall in the city of Shibirghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan province, where the brother of the murdered man shot the convict five times with a rifle, according to an eyewitness . Security around the stadium was tight, said the witness, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
It was also the fifth public execution since the Taliban seized power of Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war.
The development was ominous as the Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began carrying out severe punishments in public — executions, floggings and stonings — shortly after coming to power. The punishments are similar to those under their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Taliban government officials were not immediately available for comment.
It is the public nature of it that is ‘barbaric’ given that death sentence is legal in many places including many US states and in India? I am anti-death penalty, but I am anti-death penalty no matter the manner of death.
With that, I stop. Until next Friday. Stay safe. Be well. Take care.
Rather than getting lost in form, I hope we learn to talk about raw actions. Or we would always be lost in us vs. them narrative rather than thinking about what is good for us all.