Mao Situation - State left to take care of itself
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 07, 2010 -

The worst is beginning to unfold. The expected inevitable has started happening. The situation at Mao is very bad. At least two deaths and several persons injured had been reported from Mao yesterday. The tragedy was very unfortunate. Our sincere condolences to the families and near and dear ones of those deceased.

However, the casualties were bound to happen as the events that followed one after another were clearly riotous. The mob attacked the police personnel by hurling stones and damaging police vehicles. One bus of IRB had been set on fire and three weapons including an AK 47 rifle had been reportedly snatched away.

Some of the state security personnel sustained injuries, one of them seriously. It is natural that police should resort to lathi-charge; firing tear gas shells, opening fire in the air, etc to control violent and defiant protesters who attack the police personnel and their properties. Police actions in such a violent situation are universal. Such police actions are routine and very frequent in the valley districts too. Many deaths and hundreds of people getting injured in protest agitations in Imphal had been seen in the past.

June uprising of 2001, anti-AFSPA mass movement of 2004, four month-long Apunba Lup's agitation against the killing of Rabina and Sanjit last year, etc were some of the serious agitations during which protesters suffered heavy casualties. The kind of actions that the Manipur Police are wont to mete out on protesters in the valley is yet to be seen anywhere in the hills. The people in the valley districts are too familiar with that.

While details about the tragic incidents are awaited, it is understood that the situation is far from over. The first casualties would not be the last, more are very likely to follow. Though NSCN-IM leader Th Muivah has put off his visit to Manipur for a day or two, he has not yet given up his plan. He is still camping at Viswema in Nagaland, 10 kms from Mao gate.

The number of Manipur Police personnel deployed at Mao is not adequate enough to face the situation. More reinforcement should be sent there. After all, it is a showdown between the government of Manipur and the NSCN-IM. If situation demands, the state force should be prepared for the worst.

The whole unsavoury situation has been caused by the Centre, specially the Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram, who, out of pure ignorance or with full knowledge of the consequences, had given his consent to Muivah's request for visiting Manipur with the excuse that he would like to visit his ancestral village, Somdal in Ukhrul district of Manipur.

Enough warnings had been given to the Centre in the past not to do anything foolish like that. Now the Centre must have seen the consequences, which are just beginning–with two killed and many injured. It should be the responsibility of the Centre to bring the situation under control.

However, from the way the Centre has indicated to the State Government, it's inferred that the Centre is not going to come to the States rescue. The State Government has to take care of itself when it comes to confronting the NSCN-IM.

Meanwhile, hats off to the State Chief Minister, Shri O Ibobi and his Cabinet colleagues for courageously standing up to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Defence Minister AK Antony and telling them straight that the decision taken by the State Cabinet, subsequently reaffirmed again and again, to ban NSCN-IM leader Th Muivah from visiting Manipur can not and would not be reversed. Keep it up.