Hills, valley up in flames : The stark reality
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 10, 2014 -
No winners, only losers. A cruel reality that cuts both ways, covering the hills and the valley.
Geography may divide the place into the hills and the valley and culture may seemingly divide the hill and valley dwellers, but there are certain universal points which run through both the hills and the valley and nowhere is this more pronounced than what Manipur is going through at the moment.
Among the universal points are undoubtedly the threat posed by large scale influx of migrants and the heavy handed conduct of the State Government.
So while the valley is again staring at another face off between the Government and the votaries of the Inner Line Permit System, in the hills it is something between the State Government and those who seemingly do not want anything to do with a geo-political reality known as Manipur.
To say which side carries more weight would be something beyond the ambit of this commentary, at the moment, but at the core of the stand offs, in both the hills and the valley, stand the absolute disconnect between the people and the Government.
Unfortunate it is but central to the two cases, is the conduct of the State police personnel.
So while the August 30 police firing at Ukhrul, in which two persons were killed, provided the right impetus to the United Naga Council to harden their stand, it was the conduct of the State police force, which has given more teeth to the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System to pursue their demand.
Certainly not the time to say who is on the right and who is in the wrong, but it is there on record that the JCILPS took the decision to harden their stand after a stand off with a lady police officer.
It is also more than clear that what is happening at Ukhrul is something removed from maintaining law and order and has increasingly come to mean a battle of turf between the State police personnel and the United Naga Council.
A clear illustration of how blunt the reach and influence of the State Government has become.
Two killed, scores injured in police action on August 30 at Ukhrul to now one policeman killed and another injured in an ambush at Ukhrul district on September 9.
Not a game it is, but the scoreline of two against one is uncomfortable and extremely disturbing.
A line of thinking most likely to go down with anyone who values life.
People have suffered enough at the hands of those who want to play games with human life and this is unacceptable.
No point in stating who started it first, but the race to go one up against the other is ugly, extremely ugly and obviously this is something far removed from governance.
A point which the Government of the day must take note of. Top this off with the bandh called by the JCILPS and clearly Manipur’s cup of woes is flowing over.
But who cares ? Certainly not the trouble makers and the suited, booted ones who do not hesitate to throw their weight around.
These are the elements who have more than amply demonstrated that they have but one agenda and that is to make life hell for the common people.
The funny thing is, all these are pursued or shoved down the sensibilities of the people by the same set of elements who have taken up a cause for their people.
An ineffective Government has all the more made things easy for the trouble makers. This is the tragedy of Manipur.
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