Manipur: Whom to Believe -- Army Generals or Chief Ministers ?

By Oken Jeet Sandham - Asian Tribune

Kohima, 31 July, (NEPS): Seeing right from the unfortunate June 2001 uprising to the recent extraordinary anti-Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) demonstration in Manipur, it appears that this trouble-torn tiny State is “un-administered.”

In June 2001 uprising against the Government of India’s extension of ceasefire with the NSCN (IM) without territorial limit, 18 innocent precious lives were lost because almost all the elected legislators who were supposed to fight for the cause of the people virtually went underground. The whole Government machinery broke down and anarchy prevailed everywhere. It was literally a kind of war between the general masses and the security forces without any authority to control them.

The bizarre protest featuring a group of naked Manipuri women in front of the main gate of the 17 Assam Rifles and 9 Sector Assam Rifles against the custodial killing of Thangjam Manorama can’t be taken lightly. The women’s angers bottled up over the years against the excesses of the security forces reached saturation point.

Within three and half months since April this year, 17 persons were killed after the Assam Rifles in Manipur arrested them. Several organizations in the State have been vehemently protesting against the excesses of the security forces and demanding to remove AFSPA that allegedly allows soldiers to kill at will on mere suspicion.

Irom Sharmaila’s four years old fast-unto-death in Manipur has become an archetype of millions of people world wide. She has been on a fast-unto-death since the killing of 11 people at Malom near Imphal by security forces on 2 November 2000, demanding the removal of the AFSPA.

One of the protestors said, “We have taken these extreme steps because, as mothers, we are responsible to protect the dignity and modesty of out daughters. Besides there was no one in the State to listen to our voices of anguish and grieves for so long.”

Mr Ibobi has been helplessly watching the whole episode. He had simply asked the Assam Rifles to hand over those jawans responsible for the killing of Manorama. He has been all along vocal for the last about three months against the Assam Rifles’ excesses in the State. Unfortunately he didn’t have the political will to fire those who took the laws into their hands neither could he justify people’s position to the Central Government.

People like Laloo Prasad Yadav, Narandra Modi or Jayalalitha could interpret the pages of country’s Constitution to suit them at any given situation. Mr Ibobi should have told those leaderships sitting at Delhi that he is a constitutionally elected Chief Minister of Manipur like those Chief Ministers in UP, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, etc. One wonders how country’s laws could be sometimes interpreted at somebody’s brinkmanship.

The democratic ideals have no value if the people’s voices are not heeded. When the entire people want to have such draconian Acts lifted from their States, is there any room for further discussion on it. If New Delhi fails to prove the essence of democracy to Manipur or Nagaland or any other north eastern State, where is the validity of claiming to be champion of democracy in the world?

But the conflicting statements have been pouring in with regard to the imposition of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) in Manipur. The other day a senior Army General contended that such Act could only be imposed if the State Government recommended for it.

Well, what about the Nagaland Government’s decision. It had recommended its decision not to extend DAA in the State on two occasions. But the Central Government sidestepped it. The DAA in Nagaland expired on 22 July but it was extended by the Central Government against the State Government’s recommendation not to extend it.

Therefore, the people in this region are surprised at the kind of interpretation of laws of the land. Is the General is talking only for Manipur where Chief Minister and his Cabinet should decide on the fate of the DAA thereby the Center complies with it. Then what would be the reaction from Nagaland whose recommendations on two occasions weren’t honored. If Nagaland Government’s decision is not honored, then the General’s comment sounds very far-fetched.

Mr Ibobi needs a strong political will to resolve the burning issues in the State. But there is no denying fact that Manipur is infested with militant activities but what about Ranvir Sena in Bihar, People’s War Group and Nexalite Movement in Andhra Pradesh, terrorist threats in Gujarat and Mumbai. The nature of problems exists in Manipur demands political approach not military as can be seen from the past Naga political experiences.

Are there leaderships in this country who can listen to the voices of Manipur leaderships? Will they listen only to those leaders like Laloo Yadav, Narandra Modi, Jayalalitha, Mulayam Yadav. If the decision of a constitutionally elected State Government is not honored, then the question of the credibility of the leaderships of the country comes in.

So long the leaderships of the country remain indifferent on the issues facing the region and cannot take any citizen living in this part of the region as one family; the integrity of this country will naturally be at stake. Let the law of the country prevails everywhere without any bias or prejudice and honor the sentiments of the masses be it in Nagaland or Manipur or elsewhere.

- Asian Tribune -