Open Letter :: Government apathy to the recent bomb blast at Sangakpham, Imphal
- Various Organizations -

6th August 2011

The aftermath of the bomb blast at Sangakpham, Manipur

Open Letter to the Prime Minister of India -
" Government apathy to the recent bomb blast at Sangakpham, Imphal and the present state of governance in Manipur "

To,
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Honorable Prime Minister of India
Government of India,

Respected Sir,

It is with extreme sadness that we as citizens of Manipur, currently residing across the world, write to you in strong condemnation of the many violent and inhuman acts in the state of Manipur - the most recent being the one in Sangakpham, Imphal, in which five person including two young school-going girls were killed.

These calculated acts of violence have devastated many families and have shattered the fabric of our close-knitted society. The common people are in a state of paranoia, and with a feeling of complete sense of helplessness as our daily lives are dictated by constant fear and unending violence.

This beautiful part of the world is filled with an ever increasing number of grieving parents and families at the loss of their loved ones. These mindless acts have far exceeded the tolerance level of any civilized society and we believe the citizens of Manipur deserve some answers and solutions to this present state of turmoil.

We are a hardworking, law abiding citizens of this country but lamentably have to lead a life of constant state of fear and apprehension, continually facing the prospect of losing the lives of our loved ones, to these mindless acts of violence which should not have any place in any civilized society. We, the public, regret to say that we have minimal confidence in the existing government and the state machinery especially when it comes to safeguarding its citizens.

Manipur, we believe, has become a ‘stage' for the many politicians and leaders of various organizations, both legal and illegal, to indulge in disturbing and violence-based politics at the cost of countless lives of innocent public and the society. The state has unfortunately even witnessed unimaginable acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the past. The recent incident in Imphal has further substantiated our fear of Manipur being used as an experimental stage for violence.

At this juncture, as citizens of the state in particular and the country at large, we would like to raise some serious questions that need immediate attention – questions that need to be addressed.

1. Why is it that the action of the State and Central Government is limited to official condemnations and lack concrete plan and policies? Whilst we appreciate the swift action of the government in tracing and making a strong official statement of having concrete evidences of those behind the attack and murder, we would like to share our deepest concerns, especially the failure to arrest and hold anyone accountable so far, and despite knowing who those individuals are, who carried out the heinous act, allow them to continue to live freely in the community.

2. Why has no action been taken against the government officials under whose jurisdiction these incidents happened for dereliction of duty and failure to maintain law and order?

3. Why is it that the famed RAW, IB, Crime Branches and all other Intelligence Agencies unable to provide intelligence inputs / information to prevent such acts of terror? Why is action against such agencies not taken for such failures?

4. Why has the political machinery and the government not taken any concrete steps to bring an end to the decades old armed insurgency in the state despite taking thousands of innocent lives and bringing economic development to a grinding halt? If the Punjab Accord can bring an end to the turmoil in Punjab despite being backed and funded by Pakistan, and if the Mizoram Accord can bring peace to a similar problem in neighboring Mizoram, why cannot a negotiated settlement be brought about in Manipur?

5. Does the political system have the moral right to be still in power if it has failed in its primary duty of looking after the welfare of its citizens?

6. Do the present national media houses of the country have any moral responsibility to cover the present turmoil in the state and initiate debates with the public of the country?

We would like to remind the Government of India and the state of Manipur that they have failed time and again to implement any concrete programs and policies. We believe this lack of concrete steps has allowed this present state of misgovernance to flourish, leaving these individuals / organizations free to continue their activities and establish a sense of lawlessness.

We want to be part of a responsible society where everyone lives in peace. We want a society where there is no more bloodshed or mindless killings of innocent lives, a place where education can flourish without any bombs near schools and a place led by people with high standards of political moral values.

We would like to request all concerned and responsible people of land to please come together on a common platform and militancy and insurgency issues are solved based on highest humane values.

We once again would like to strongly urge the Honorable Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, and the leaders of the various Organizations of the state to introspect, take moral responsibility and give justice to the innocent victims of the recent act of violence. We urge you to restore the faith of the people by delivering justice and promote democratic ideals and establish a peaceful and prosperous state.

We would ever remain grateful for any attempt to create fair governance and a chance for a dignified life to the people of Manipur.

Sincerely Yours,

1/ Ex-Students from Don Bosco School (DBS), IMPHAL
2/ Ex-Students from Little Flower School (LFS), IMPHAL
3/ Ex-Students from C C Higher Secondary School IMPHAL
4/ Ex-Students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Kakching
5/ Kuki Student Organisation, Delhi
6/ Komrem Student Union, Delhi
7/ Manipur Youth Foundation
8/ Hyderabad Manipuri Soceity
9/ All Mizoram Manipuri Association (AMMA)

Date: 6th August 2011

This mail is copied to :-

1/ President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
2/ Vice President of India, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari
3/ Chairperson of the ruling UPA, Smt. Sonia Gandhi
4/ Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri. Okram Ibobi
5/ Home Minister of India, Shri P. Chidambaram
6/ Chief Justice of India, Hon'ble Mr. Justice S.H. Kapadia
7/ Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Smt. Sushma Swaraj
8/ UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay
9/ National Media Houses
10/ Media Houses of North East India
11/ Media Houses of Manipur
12/ International Media Houses
13/ Supreme Court Judges
14/ Joint Secy North Eeast, Shri. Naveen Verma