ILPS: Aftermath the martyrdom of Robinhood

Thoudam Imomacha Singh *

Sapam Robinhood's father - Sapam Romesh on July 20 2015 :: Sapam Robinhood - given the title of 'Lamjing Meira' :: Pix - HL

The upsurge in violence on the issue of ILPS was due to the gainsaying attitude of the state government. We are all aware that there has been no lull in public life of the state at least for the last two weeks.

In view of the present state of affairs in the state a pragmatic approach to resolve the momentous issue of ILPS is the need of the hour. The Manipuri's are now under a fear psychosis of their own racial dismemberment due to relentless influx.

An affirmative development at this critical juncture is the unanimous decision of the ruling Congress' Legislature Party recommending a judicial probe into the killing of Robinhood under a competent authority not less than a retired Justice of a High Court.

The state Congress chief and Dy. C.M. Mr. Gaikhangam has also clearly spelt out that the state government is in want of time not less than a month to reconstruct a new Bill on ILPS to be introduced in the state legislature to replace the earlier one that the general public had censured.

Another assertion that the Dy. C.M. had made was that if the JAC and the JCILPS prepare to confer with the state authority to look into the nooks and crannies of the Bill to be newly structured, the time-frame required for the job may be lessoned. Prior to this statement of the Dy. C.M. no communication had been given to the JAC for any mutual deliberation in the continued stand off between the state and the people pertaining to the ILPS tangle.

Now, the ball regarding the solution to the ILPS imbroglio lies in the court of the JAC and the peoples' JCILPS, who stood in solidarity to reject the earlier toothless ILPS Bill. It is now imperative that a foolproof ILPS Bill is prepared.

Only now, it seems that there is hope in the air that representatives of the JCILPS and the state populace would endorse the suggestion from the Dy. CM's end to settle things once for all. When a paramount issue like the ILPS is to be amicably settled there must always be room for a quid pro quo.

Here also we may take into account the sermon offered by an esteemed organization of the land, not less than the revered Senior Citizens for society, Manipur that the JCILPS and the state government must engage themselves in a dialogue so that the prolonged restlessness in the state comes to an end. But, we all know that two palms are essential for a clap to applause someone or something.

To be at logger heads is no means to bring solution to such an insurmountable issue like the ILPS Bill. Both sides must be logical while sitting around the conference table with a sense of responsibility and a down to earth commitment.

Let us also ponder over the matter of the unprecedented delay in disposing the martyred Robinhood's mortal remains in accordance with the traditional and ritualistic practice which the Manipuri's normally follow.

It is also very much a part of our duty to think about the mental agony that Robinhood's parents have been experiencing for the last so many days.

Our tradition and religious norms prohibit everyone in a bereaved family to take any sort of solid food. How sad and deplorable is the plight of Robinhood's brave-heart parents. All our hearts spontaneously go to them.

The loss of their young son came to them like a bolt from the blue. There is no heavier tragedy in life than for parents to see their children dead.

The only solace Robinhood's parents can think about is that their loving son has sacrificed his precious young life for the foremost cause of protecting the Manipuri ethnicity.