July Inside 16-17

OPINION

OPINION

Between Northeastern intelligence and 007 agents The last month has been a time when the hills have once again erupted. The incidents of factional clashes in Nagaland and in the hill stations of Darjeeling, Siliguri and the Chinese incursion to certain parts of Sikkim have once again shown the lack of ability of the administration in handling law and order and taking preemptive action. But while the agitators, police and P. B. K. Manikya Deb Burman the politicians get all the brickbats, the major culprit in this utter failure has got away scot free. Yes one may ponder who else should be accountable for all this, but one often tends to forget that the intelligence agencies are also supposed to be active within the nation’s boundaries. While it’s unfortunate that most of these intelligence agents or officials know more about the problems plaguing Azerbaijan or Haiti they simply have not got enough information about the problems and sensitivityies which are burning the country they live in. Let’s take the example of the recent killings in Nagaland, when members of a particular outfit were killed by another, the entire local press and NGO’s went about saying that the central agencies were active in the creation of a new outfit and were influencing the break up of the NSCN. The officials did not only deny their involvement but were also seen trying to justify the violence by saying that this was a state subject and not under their jurisdiction. They were also quoted as saying that they had no knowledge about the incident and were awaiting further information. When the Prashant Tamang phenomenon happened in all the Nepalese dominated areas in West-Bengal and parts of the Northeast, even a child could have felt the undercurrent of Gorkha nationalism, but our agents were discussing the nuclear deal in some five star resort, far away from the hullabaloo in the northeast. The emergence of the GJM (Gorkha Janamukti Morcha), a little known organization, which was minimal till then, rode the wave of popular sentiment and captured the imaginations of the people. A little known figure like Bimal Gurung even went on to dethrone Subas Ghising the one time champion of Gorkhaland. The emergence was complete when the entire town of Siliguri was thrown out of gear, when a certain radio jockey made a remark on a popular FM channel. Suddenly the GJM was the voice of all the disenchanted Nepalese people who felt victimized and deprived for so many years. The recent Chinese incursion into the ‘Finger Area’ in Sikkim is also very alarming, since it has been widely told to us by officials that Sikkim is a closed chapter and China accepts the boundaries of the state. With these regular incursions maybe it is time we ask China to publicly state their stance on Sikkim .Kudos 16

July 08

to the national media whose extensive coverage about the Chinese incursion ensured that this incident did not go unnoticed in the rest of the country. It is sad that even after sixty years of independence I am still asked if its safe to walk in Agartala or Itanagar ,as we might be attacked by wild animals or loin-cloth wearing tribesmen. While I do admit that our intelligence agencies are more aware than before, questions such as the above are still asked of most of us when we travel outside our region. I mentione this because there is an utter lack of interest in this part of the country and the northeast is looked at as a part of the country largely from a strategic point of view and, unfortunately, not as an integral part of a conventional ‘Hindustan’. The intelligence agencies also gather information largely out of discussions in A.C conference rooms or by reading books published about the region, or maybe from a conversation with some journalist, but never do they get their information first hand at ground zero. The army and other Para military forces seldom leave their barracks and are not seen to be at ease mingling with the local “civilians”. It is this very aristocracie type attitude that has made the intelligence agency so insipid. During a recent interaction with a top official in New Delhi I came to observe that the actual problem of the intelligence agencies was the complete lack of interest and knowledge in the region. When asked about the plan if China tried to create a buffer zone (the chickens neck being the most likely target) which connects the mainland from the Northeast, this top official said that there was a contingency plan but it could not be revealed since this was classified information. But if such an incident happened then they would declassify this vital information. He went on to say that he knew that they (China) had something up their sleeve but was not sure what it was. Confused? Sure I was, but then it dawned upon me that it wasn’t I who was confused but the concerned gentleman. My personal opinion was that, fundamentally, there was a serous lack of application and hence the confusion about the “sensitive matter”. But this sort of confusion is not new since these top officials hardly have any knowledge about the northeast and some even take postings in the region as a punishment of sorts. The lack of infrastructure and communication within different intelligence agencies such as the Assam Rifles, Police, RAW, IB, Indo-Tibetan Task force and Army is very apparent. While in other countries like Russia, USA and even Pakistan there is a clear guideline for agencies to gather vital information, in this country, it is quite the opposite, with protocol, egos and red tapism hampering joint information sharing. Of course, it is heartening to see that the Prime Minister has suggested a centralized federal bureau for intelligence, but it remains to be seen how this will be implemented with certain key states opposed to this idea. While there are many advisors on the problems of the region

very few actually offer solutions. It may be suggested that after the victory of Maoists in Nepal, China might actually look to create a buffer state which can divide the country (much like East Pakistan and West Pakistan) into two halves. The trouble in Darjeeling, Siliguri and certain parts of Sikkim may strengthen this fact and better still if it is a non-Islamic movement such as what we are seeing, then the west always seems more relieved. Another Kashmir could be in the offing … Yes, it’s true that the new found Nepalese or Gorkha nationalism has already started to create a panic within the northeast and communal tensions are bound to rise. Also, it cannot be ruled out that certain elements with the backing of the Maoists in Nepal are providing arms and money to some of the agitators in India. The re-emergence of the Amra Bangali (a radical pro Bengali outfit to counter the hill people) is also a sign of worry and may make the other hill state people sympathetic to the creation of Gorkha-land. The northeast will also feel the pinch with the national highway blocked and there will be a constant rise in the prices of essential commodities. Someone is speaking for us but we don’t know what and why? Eventually, solution comes with patience and constructive dialogue, but with whom and about what? I personally would like to see that people participate more than their so called leaders. Today we have leaders who use agitations as platforms for furthering their political career. Never has a permanent settlement come to last without the active participation of civil society, yet it’s the same leaders who are invited to participate in dialogue. Maybe it is time for all of us to express our interest in participating in a process which is apparently fought for us, but not by us. The so called agencies can actually help in bringing peace if they actually came out the closet and reveal the game plan of the enemy (if they do have one in the first place). They must learn to trust their population first, because if the local population realizes that they are the actual sufferers then maybe they would think twice when leaders instigate them. Since the actual sufferers of these bandhs and agitations are the masses and businessmen, a huge amount of money is spent on propaganda and counter views, but not once are the actual stake-holders consulted. Daily wage earners, farmers, transporters, education and tourism are almost immediately affected, but the long term effects are more permanent. The Naga peace talks are going on, but there seems to be a lack of progress or, let’s say, urgency. The entire top brass of the NSCN blames the Indian Government for this delay and constantly threatens to withdraw from the ongoing talks. My question is then, why don’t they? Aha!!! But who will put forward this question to them, definitely not the government officials who are too busy going on shopping sprees in Bangkok or Amsterdam on the excuse of peace talks. Maybe the Naga peace talks should also come under the preview of the RTI as the actual stakeholders are the Naga people, or so I thought. I think that at a certain level the Indian intelligence agencies and the officials are actually scared about facing reality because they simply don’t understand what Northeasterners are all about or how they think. Also they do not realize that actual alienation started when in the name of national integration they encouraged large scale settlement, whether it was in Sikkim, Tripura or even Assam. This was because they did not care to spend some quality time with the grassroots of the populace.

Today it is these settlers who are talking about more autonomy and a separate identity. Did the administration ever care to think about the plight of the indigenous population, or were they simply dispensable at that time for the sake of national integration? These actions have made other states insecure about their own existence and that has led to different organizations and groups coming to the fore in the name of regional nationalism and at times even sovereignty. China and the ISI have been only too happy to assist these elements in their larger game-plan. By the time this article comes out there may de-escalation in violence in Nagaland, Darjeeling and China may have returned its troops to their barracks but that may be temporary because there is no such thing as a complete solution (much like “they lived happily ever after”). But if there is transparency and honesty in the talks then one should not feel trepidecious to let citizens know about it. The truth is to respect the verdict of the masses, and if you think it is incorrect then don’t berate the public, for it is often that the nation’s administration that fails its people and not the other way round. The problem here is not only political but actually of human sentiments... It is also obvious that there is a lack of trust and respect between the administration and the common person in these troubled areas. Perhaps, the intelligence official will realize that the problem is not only external but also about mutual trust and lack of application. A little bit of sensitivity can go a long way in winning the hearts and minds of the people. Maybe the answer lies in a statement which says ‘assimilation is necessary but not at the cost of annihilation’. Declassified…………. P. B. K. Manikya Deb Burman

July 08

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