Heirok says something, let's listen

Oinam Anand*

This piece is being written at a very difficult time with a sense of anguish and despondency. The recent happenings that is the death of three young boys and girls and the unison call of the people of Heirok to provide them guns for self protection are a matter of great concern for our society and should inspire serious introspection among all of us.

This writer has preferred to sit on the fence rather than dragging himself in the debatable topic for which the apt title like this "Providing guns to the common people will ensure safety to their lives." This time the mover of the topic is the present SPF Government.

But we find more voice of protest at present.

Some uncomfortable questions remain to be addressed regardless of the topic of providing guns to the civilians for self protection. Why do the people of Heirok and Chajing demand guns to protect themselves?

The answer to this big question relates to the mysterious manner in which the people of Manipur caught in and to the gross human right violation that took place on a daily routine manner.

In the system of governance, whether it is under democracy, monarchy or any other form of government, the foremost duty of the government is to safeguard the lives of the common people. The people look upon the government as a guardian and a custodian of law and order.

So it is the duty of the government to perfect its people and maintain or control Law and order of the state for a civilized and cultured society.

The "Welcome" entrance Board at Heirok Picture Courtesy: Jinendra Maibam

Now, deciphering the present Govt.'s criteria to determine just what a breakdown of law and order constitutes might defeat the most skilled cryptographer. It is so puzzling a definition that we the people often forget what 'law and order' exactly means to us.

Killing, kidnapping, planting of bombs became a part of our day to day happenings. The common people are left to their own fate, whether he/she would return home safe after his/her day's work is done. Hundreds of testimony before us show how this manner and method of killing has left and indelible imprint on the mind of the survivors.

What are this law enforcing agents doing these days? They always act late or act nothing. They always reached the spot of crime or killing late just like those policemen of the Bollywood films of 1970's.

In the aftermath of Heirok tragedy, the Govt. only succeeded in drawing a lot of bitter criticism for inaction. Even though tension had been brewing in the area many days after the incident of firing, it did nothing to control, or subside or even to investigate the matter.

So the mass revolt (it is a kind of revolution or change) of self protection by the people of the area is a bonfire of the vanities of those who see the problem of law and order in Manipur in a simplistic light. The situation in our state is grim and more complex than the one that was obtained in Punjab in the previous century.

For more than a decade, ordinary Manipuri, ordinary in the sense that those families who have got no brothers or sons either in the state security force or in one of the underground outfits, have seen their lives grind and ground to powder between the milestone of insurgency problems (or freedom struggle) on one hand and heavy handed security force operation or oppression on the other.

In the recent past years as the number of insurgent group have increase manifold fighting for the same cause and it also has taken a more dangerous turn as the proverb says 'Too much cook spoils the broth' and it is likely that by mistake, they might have turn their trigger back to the people. This is a dilemma in which we caught in. It is a problem not only for Heirok but also all of us.

Laws of motion says 'if there is an equilibrium on a body it must be free from all external forces or it must be acted upon by two equal and opposite forces from opposite directions. The Govt. fails to protect its citizen when their is crime, killing all around.

Then it is natural for all of us to fight. This is what the people of Heirok and Chajing said "Give guns and we will protect ourselves. This means to counter the forces themselves when the Govt. fail to protect them.

If there is any message in the events following the mass uprising of the people of Heirok and the Govt.'s sudden initiative to provide what the people want, it is only searching for silver lining where there is none of it. It will be a pipe dream for the Govt. to think that peace can be restored when people are armed against each other.

Are the people of Heirok and Chajing ready to fight of all the odds that might in the way in future? I think they are giving a very important message to us by this demand. They are not fighting with the underground outfits.

How can they fight with some odd .303 rifles of World War I against their own brethren. It is a simple, a stand that tells that let those who wield guns, use the guns properly.

It worth to mention here the words of Mao-Tse-Tung "The party principal must guide the guns, not the other way around" Whether it is revolutionary movement or a insurgent one, mindless violence is self defeating.

It is imperative that we look hard, without flinching into the mirror that these real images hold up before us, however grotesque the images, however agonising the lessons, for it is only in this mirror that we can see the world that we have lost, but also the world to be reclaimed — that is 'peace in Manipur'.

Heirok says this and let's listen to it.

Related Article/Gallery on this issue:

• Arm to Disarm :: Geoffery
• Selection for SPO at Heirok - May 05 2008 :: Gallery
• Village to village via guns :: TSE Editorial
• Heirok and the Future History of Manipur :: Amar Yumnam
• Home they brought her warrior dead :: Amar Yumnam
• Readers Email on Arming in Heirok/Chajing
• Timeline on The Killing Fields

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* Oinam Anand wrote regularly for The Sangai Express. This article was webcasted on June 10, 2008.

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