Law has to intervene !

Seram Neken *

Very often, Indian political leaders appeal to insurgent groups of the north east to come out and have talks for bringing negotiated peaceful solution of separatist issues. There have also been humanitarian promises for rehabilitation of the so-termed 'misguided youths' to bring them to mainstream. The call for peace talks and provisions for rehabilitation of insurgents have always been reduced to a mere oration with the real ill-designs by which the government machineries often deal with the insurgents.

There have been stories of many outlawed youths arrested and executed out of law. A number of insurgents were reported disappeared after arrests by security forces in the state. Obviously, such things happened due to excessive treatment meted out to the arrested members only to extract as much information as possible for further actions. Unfortunately, law enforcers sidelined the law of the land in fulfilling their missions. Rule of law prevails in India and no-one is above the law.

In the present Indian political scenario, people trust the media more than it trust the government and people's representatives. Media is really an important foundation on which democratic values are moulded. In the infamous Sanjit and Rabina murder case, the executive and legislature of Manipur had tried to bury the misdeeds of the security forces by way of leveling false charges against the victims.

Even the Chief Minister of the state wrongly interpreted the police action in haste for a face-saving of the government. However, the power of media succeeded in unfolding the usual drama of 'fake-encounter' of the Manipur police personnel. The online media www.tahelka.com heightened the people's confidence in the media when it exposed the images of excessive treatments of the security personnel. Media, no doubt, was the origin of the ongoing investigations for bringing justice to the people.

The arrest of Rajkumar Sanayaima alias Meghen, the chairman of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Manipur by Bangladesh police and subsequent hand-over to Indian authorities was reported by a most reliable and credible international news organisation some days back. BBC News Kolkata Correspondent Sudhir Bhaumik quoted an anonymous senior official of India in saying that the rebel leader was arrested in the neighbouring country during the first week of October and he was brought to India by an Indian flight. However, controversies have cropped up when Union Home Secretary GK Pillai disowned the report during his recent visit to Manipur.

The Union Secretary flatly denied having any information on his arrest. The UNLF in its statement has also confirmed that its chairman was arrested by Bangladesh security forces. Even after weeks of the report, the government is yet to confirm the arrest of Sanayaima. Civil society organisations of the state are demanding the whereabouts of the rebel leader and demanding justice on the matter.

It frequently happens that a mere official of the union government flatly comments on issues of the state in haste. Even an army officer sometime back commented on furthering the armed forces special powers act in the state, which actually was supposed to be commented by a political leader like the Union Home Minister or the Prime Minister. The flat disowning of the UNLF leader's arrest by GK Pillai without much pondering supposedly exposed the half-hearted attitude towards Manipur issues by the centre.

It would be better if replying to such a sensitive issue took some time for enquiries within the government set-up. In other mainland states of India, such an official do not usually comment on sensitive issues. Hence, how subjective is the centre towards the north eastern states particularly Manipur can be easily gauged from such dealings.

Indian law gives protection to all its citizens. After due trial, anyone has to be freed, pardoned or punished. No agency or no personality is above the law. Anybody arrested by the government machinery should face trial in law court and the law has to define its own course. As a human being and as a citizen of the country, Rajkumar Sanayaima should be tried under the law and he shall get his punishments or otherwise thereafter.

Concealing information on his whereabouts not only amounts to violation of human right but also negates the government initiative to bring the insurgents to peaceful negotiating table. As a leader of the most powerful and oldest separatist group in the border region of India, Rajkumar Sanayaima and his arrest may also be reaped as a great opportunity for peaceful negotiations.

Rather, this leader may be considered as an apostle of peace in the region as he had offered for plebiscite under the United Nations to end the separatist movement some years back. His proposal for UN mediation and plebiscite were, in his own words, designed to enable the people of Manipur to decide their democratic opinion. He offered to surrender all arms to the UN and mooted the deployment of UN peace keeping forces in the region so as execute the plebiscite. Notwithstanding the merits and demerits of offer, it was truly the first ever peace initiative from a separatist insurgent organisation to which the government always appeals for dialogue.

Hailing from a royal family, Sanayaima has been known for his charismatic and able leadership with good academic background. Individuals or civil organisations demanding transparency about the leaders arrest shall not be construed as supporting the cause of the rebel group. Rather it is the justice that they are demanding, and it is the hands of Law that they are inviting to deal with a leader who has been sacrificing most of his life for a certain cause and for a certain people.