Black Saturday
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 01, 2014 -

Peace rally organised by United Naga Council (UNC) turned violent at Ukhrul district headquarters :: 30 August 2014 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

30th August, 2014.

It was, indeed, a black Saturday not only for the denizens of Ukhrul district but also for all the peace loving people settling around the globe.

Two precious lives were lost while several others sustained injuries in the police firing on a group of people who were protesting against prolonged promulgation of restriction order under Section 144 of CrPC in Ukhrul town on Saturday afternoon.

In the retaliatory angry mob violence that followed, two vehicles including that of Kamjong SDO’s Bolero Jeep and a Maruti Gypsy belonging to the security personnel were overturned and burnt down, two security jawans were held captive and their weapons seized.

In short, it was total chaos and lawlessness in UKhrul town on that black Saturday afternoon.

With the Almighty God said to have created human beings in his own image, human life is invaluable in many ways and no amount of ex-gratia announced or given by anyone would be able to ever compensate for the lost of any human lives, which are so precious.

So the loss of human lives in the action of the police personnel, who are the protectors and not the slayers, is something that deserves strongest condemnation by all and today we see various organisations and individuals denouncing the excesses committed by the police personnel on the protestors, some of whom would now live the rest of their life with a permanent scar not just on their physical bodies, but also in their hearts and minds.

Now, the question is, could the tragedy which was unfolded in the heart of Ukhrul town on that black Saturday afternoon have been avoided?

How the police firing on the unarmed protestors started? Was there any provocation?

Why was there no trouble in other districts during the UNC-sponsored rally?

And who are going to gain from such ugly confrontations that result in shedding of blood shed by innocent people? As Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE), Manipur has rightly pointed out, “The ugly state of affairs, and it’s tragic consequences, is a foregone conclusion because of the disgraceful divergent trajectories pursued by the Government of Manipur and civil society organisations who think that a conflict can be resolved through untenable positions and supplication to the so-called ‘authorities’ far removed from the realities of Manipur,” the tragedy at Ukhrul town on that black Saturday afternoon was a direct result of failure of both the Government of Manipur and the United Naga Council (UNC) and its federating units to understanding the core issue at stake.

While, the Government of Manipur has steadfastly stuck to its ‘irrational’ stand of not lifting the prohibitory order imposed for nearly 2 months now despite the repeated claims that the situation in Ukhrul has been normalized, thus pushing the people up against the wall, literally; UNC’s aggressive campaign against what it terms as ‘militarization of Ukhrul by the security forces of a communal Government’ has only aggravated the situation in Ukhrul making it like a tinderbox that was only waiting to catch fire at the slightest provocation.

In the end, the Government of Manipur has given the names of another two persons to be added in the list of martyrs of UNC. Indeed, the most blackest Saturday ever!