Is JAC the only solution for every situation ?

Mubashir Raji *

Strike called by a JAC in October 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Open a newspaper and one will be graced with the headlines like, 'JAC to intensify movement', 'JAC and social organisations welcome the judgement', 'rapist convicted' etc. Date line, threats and ultimatum from JAC and social organisation is the order of the day. People feel threat is the only tool to wake the government from the slumber.

We have a situation here; for every issue we need a JAC (joint action committee). This JAC is an umbrella organisation spear heading a particular issue; JAC's responsibility is to give direction to the people agitation. Otherwise people will lose the momentum and the deaf government will never hear the voice of the voiceless.

In principle, it is very democratic way of organising people's moment. But why the situation comes to such pass that for every issue we need to form a JAC? One thing is certain people are desperate and see emergency like situation in every issue.

Why there is so much of pent up anger in our society? It seems everyone is forming their own group to express their discontentment through so called social organisation. An incident happens and people will form a JAC and launch movement to get their demands. The justice system is hardly effective; the common refrain is without agitation and mass moment, no valid demands will come your way.

It seems every simplest of issue require a big mass moment to get redressed. By the by why there is so much of JAC for every issue? It is because justice is deluding the common people. People have to resort to blackmailing tactics' every now and then, as tools they used hartals, blockade, general strikes and many more.

In recent times, there are incidents like killing people for ransom, child abduction and kidnapping which are pure criminal cases to be addressed by the police. There are frequent rape cases also; for every such incident, people have to form JAC, called a general strike and organise a big movement. Only then, government will relent. It is like playing the game of Kabbadi! The moment government see that public agitation is cooling down, they will put off the issue altogether, then again people will start agitating, the circle continues.

For the issue that does not take the form of a mass moment; it will remain as it is; there is hardly any hope of logical justice. For those issue and those people who does not command such massive attention, the issue will never redressed. There are many such issues which did not get the desired attention of media and public alike. Such moment for whatever cause it may, stalled the government and put every economic activity to standstill.

Today public started deciding the justice themselves; perhaps that is one reason why mob justice is so popular in Manipur.

As an example; when some social crime like 'rape ' happen the first thing the mob will burn down the house of culprit. The mob will disgrace and expel the entire family. Such crimes are happening frequently and such mob justice is also very frequent. The question is what about the fate of the children of the criminals? As crimes are frequent, the number of disgraced children of (because of no fault of their) these criminals will also be large after sometime. Have we ever thought of the rehabilitation and relief of those children? The children will not simply get vanished in the air, they may be expel from one locality but will still be there in our society.

Or are we leaving them to follow their father's footsteps and become criminals. Even the criminals will never want their children to become like them (criminal). But if the society disgraces those children: their houses burn down and harassed unnecessarily, then what to become of their education and social life?

The scary thing about mob justice is there is no chance for appeal and second opinion. It does not set a good example: it is always one sided and never fair. It is not the way civilized society function.

Mass agitation and mob justice are more prone to anarchy than to civilization. Unwanted elements in our society take advantage of such situation. In fact vested interest is more involve than the sense of justice itself.

Coming back to our topic about prevailing situation in Manipur; once again a very common refrain in our society, once a culprit get to the police, they will somehow escape unscathed.

There are incidents in recent time, where lots of drugs and contraband substances are sized by the police and other social organisations. In many such cases, sometimes public never get to know the real owner of substances. Only the carrier or agents get arrested. Sometime, public suspect that because of the influence of the culprits in the high corridors of power: they will twist everything to their favour and went unscathed.

Mention may be made here that, there are lots social organisations which function or exist for purely for policing job, which is the job of police in normal scenarios. May be it is the need of the hour but it is very paradoxical in a democratic republic society. People may argue that such organisation exists everywhere; yes it exists but it function more like an ad-hoc arrangement.

We cannot blame police and government all the time; they are very much part of our society. The big question is, why the same young man or woman who himself or herself feel the wrong things, resort to same old corrupt practices when given the power? Is there something wrong with our system itself? Why the people with good intentions are up with heavy odds? May be we lack good role models, in our present day society. Or in reality, do the present generation lack the wills to bring the positive change? If so what could be done?

When a man becomes a politician, he suddenly becomes a different being. It may be because of many different social reasons. Does our society lack sincerity? Are we not giving proper value inputs to children when they are growing up?

A nation always needs visionary leaders, who can transform the nation through their wills and vision and to sets those leaders as role models for future generations.

On the hindsight, all these crimes; corrupt politicians and bureaucrats; people organising large movement every now and then are all different parts of a big picture. The big picture is our degrading society.

All the vices mention above are only the symptoms; they are only the manifestation of our socio economic conditions. We need a new direction, a new vision and our 'tryst with destiny' is still very far.