Why shake-up in Assam, Mizo bureaucracy is a must

The oddity about the sham- eful Assam-Mizoram fracas is that it’s a police versus police fight, not a police versus insurgents, rioters, arsonists sort of situation. And that’s why the first question to be asked is one of order, of administration and not of politics or history.Fissiparous tendencies in the northeast aren’t new. They have always simmered under the surface, but the idea has been to power a new narrative through economic opportunity and integration with the mainstream. For that to happen, though, sustained peace is a prerequisite.The all-India services have played a silent but stellar role in ensuring that bare minimum. Be it by way of regular administration and police work or through security and intelligence agencies, the combined objective of this impressive edifice has been to keep the peace. And this has delivered results — empowerment of women through opportunity, sports and skilling is, perhaps, the biggest pointer to what peace can achieve.But when these forces fight, kill and maim each other over local issues of conflict, it’s not just worrying but unpardonable. Because that means the simmering divisive tendencies have pierced thro-ugh the frame of Indian administrative and police architecture. Now, there can be many things wrong with the all-India services but a failing on this basic constitutional pledge cannot be acceptable.Let’s come to the issue at hand. When the first time this current trend of violence erupted last September, a truce was reached with a small CRPF camp set up on the border where the current incident took place. They were meant to be the buffer between the two police forces. That itself is odd because one should not need a central force to keep peace between two state police entities.That said, an uncertain peace was maintained but the fire wasn’t extinguished. On the Mizoram side, all superintendents of police in the border districts remained from the provincial cadres. No IPS officer was posted there. Incidentally, while the state is served by the AGMUT cadre, there are fewer regular IPS officers posted there. Even though many DGPs, including the present one, have been high ranking Delhi Police officials, their hold and sway over the local police has been limited. The present chief secretary of Mizoram, Lalnunmawia Chuaungo, is a Mizo himself. He is a 1987-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, on deputation to Mizoram. He has a reputation of being a performing bureaucrat. His popularity in Mizoram is quite high but that has also put in difficult situation, like the conflict with the Election Commission in 2018, when he was removed for interference in electoral processes.That decision sparked a wave of protests against the chief electoral officer who had to be replaced because tempers ran so high. Chuaungo was then principal secretary (home). So, Mizo sentiments find a strong expression within the bureaucracy, which is not a problem but it becomes an issue if the bureaucracy also gets swayed by local sentiments.On the Assam side, we have a new CM who clearly feels cheated by the Mizo National Front, which he shored up as NEDA convenor. But that’s politics. The administrative question is how could an IPS officer of IG rank in Assam Police let things slip out of control. Why was a force of 200 needed when a CRPF camp was there to keep the separation?The whole clash began even as the SPs of the two bordering districts were talking about a post on the Mizoram side. The entire chain of events, including the assault on a Mizo couple, does not reflect well on the police. And then, of course, the killing of Assam cops — all in the presence of three legitimate police entities, of which two were active participants.Regardless of the politics and the history of troubled boundaries, order needs to return to the administrative apparatus that holds up the constitutional frame in the northeast. To start with, a bureaucratic shake-up ought to be considered with competent IAS and IPS officers placed in sensitive districts and the CRPF given a clear mandate on maintaining the peace. Because the cost of inaction could be far more damaging to national security than what meets the eye today.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3zWoa3V