ILP stir and State response
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 26, 2014 -

Shockingly brutal. For want of stronger terms, these are the words we could think of to describe the muscle flexing action of the State Police forces on the students who were demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to put a curb on unrestraint influx of migrant workers in Manipur.

While this ugly episode of kicking and thrashing the young students who could be their own brothers and sisters has once again shown the true mental state of the State police personnel, in whose hands the responsibility of maintaining law and order in the State has been entrusted, the consequent response of the State administration to these sheer brutalities of its police force on the students has only acted like fueling the anger of the people, particularly that of the student community.

What is the State government trying to prove by declaring holidays in all schools and colleges in Imphal East and Imphal West district on July 25, 26 and 28 or till the ongoing Assembly session is over?

Does it think that such unwarranted measures would be able to quell the movement for implementation of Inner Line Permit system in the State?

The State administration should realize the fact the present movement of the students for implementation of Inner Line Permit system in the State to check influx of migrant workers from outside has stemmed from its own failure of doing the needful despite adopting two separate resolutions in the State Assembly itself.

While the excesses committed by the State police personnel on the students demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit system in the State and the subsequent forced closure of all schools and colleges including Government, Government Aided and Private institutions in Imphal East and Imphal West district have shown the ineptness of the State administration and its police forces in handling a situation that needs little more than a tact; decision of the State Legislative Assembly to issue summon notices o a human rights activist and a private local TV channel for alleged breach of privilege of the House over a comment given in connection with the public demand for Inner Line Permit System in the State and the failure of the legislators to translate their own decision taken in the House, not just once but twice, calls for no bravado either.

Honourable members of the House may have feel insulted by the use of the words ‘Mithibong Mitambal’, but the comment of the human rights activist which was aired in the private TV channel was only stating the obvious.

For how long, the honourable members of the House are going to say that they are exerting pressure on the Central Government in connection with the twin resolutions they adopted for implementation of Inner Line Permit system in the State?

If the resolutions they have adopted were not just to please the people but were so helpless in keeping that promise made to the people on the sacred floor of the State Assembly itself despite knowing the implication of unchecked influx of migrant workers, then they are nothing more than what the human rights activist has described so well.

Honourable members should know that setting unruly police personnel against the agitating students or summoning notices to human rights activist and TV channel is not going to help in saving themselves from the shadow of ILP demand in Manipur.

By the way, now that the movement of the students over ILP demand has spread to other districts of the State, is the State administration going to order closure of schools and colleges in these districts as well?