Manipur, May 3 -- A year had gone by since the beginning of ethnic strife on May 3, 2023 and Manipur would never be the same again in terms of inter-ethnic relations while geo-political realities have been laid bare for everyone to see. More than 200 people have died, hundreds missing and nearly 60 thousand people have been internally displaced in the mayhem that was unleashed in the conflict. As incidents of senseless violence unfolded and kept on persisting, the powers that be both at the Centre and state stood watch. For the first time ever, the role of central forces and neutrality became a point of discussion as they refused to act in most of the incidents of armed clashes between the warring communities.

As the violence unfolded, t...