The promotion and patronisation of vigilante groups by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Manipur have systematically suppressed credible voices in the states, an all-women panel has said in its report.

“The BJP regime’s coercive approach has enabled the hijacking of rational and societal building voices by the divisive and hate-filled agenda of the state-supported non-state groups,” the panel said in its report. “The blanket impunity provided to such forces and select CSOs [Civil Society Organisations] by the State has totally emboldened such groups, given them a sense of complete security and enabled them and not the progressive voices to control the narrative.”

The report was submitted by social workers Angela Rangad from Meghalaya, Jarjum Ete from Arunachal Pradesh and Roshmi Goswami from Assam and Delhi-based activist Syeda Hameed. They arrived in Manipur on August 3.

At least 187 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 have been forced to flee their homes since violence broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the Northeastern state on May 3. The state has reported cases of rape and murder, and mobs have looted police armoury and set several homes on fire despite the heavy presence of central security forces.

Opposition parties have blamed the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government for failing to control the violence. Several leaders and even Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs in Manipur have demanded the removal of Singh, who belongs to the Meitei community.

In its report, “Who Gains? Who Loses?: Interim Reflections from Manipur”, the women’s panel claimed a huge proliferation of arms and ammunition, ranging from light machine and combat guns to mortars and rocket launchers, has taken place in the state.

“We were told that the arms were both looted or handed over upon production of ‘Aadhaar cards’ from the police stations and depots!” the panel said. “We saw people moving around with AK-47s casually slung over their shoulders clad in casuals or in military fatigues!”

They added that the availability of such arms in a state with an extensive international border is “deeply disturbing” and totally incomprehensible from a point of view of national security.

The social activists also said that both the Meteis and Kukis in the state have pointed out the failure of the BJP governments at the Centre and at the state in controlling the violence.

“People were unanimous in saying that if the violence was controlled and reined in the first few days of its outburst in May, it would not have accelerated the way it did and they would not be in the present state that they are in,” they said in the report.

The report also said that the immediate as well as long-term fallout of the conflict is the issue of internally displaced people who are currently living in relief camps.

“State presence appeared to be absent or minimal in the relief camps,” they said. “We were told that when the conflict began much of the relief arrangements were being done by community groups particularly the localities where these camps came up.”