Indifference, madness continue : Answer lies on May 3
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 08, 2023 -

The indifference continues. So too does the mindless killings.

The highway running between Imphal and Dimapur is still a strict no no for the Meiteis, with highwaymen patrolling the road and checking each and every vehicle to see if there is anyone on board from the other side of the clash divide.

Meticulousness is written in bold here given that the identity of anyone is established via Aadhaar card and Voter-I card making them the Green cards to pass through this route.

Imphal and the other valley districts are still off limits for the Kuki people.

Reports of gun fire at villages located at the foothills of Manipur continue to pour in and this has had a direct impact on agricultural activities.

Top this off with the report that paddy fields owned by Meiteis but where no Meitei would dare to venture out to cultivate, have been taken over by the Kukis and this should not leave anyone in doubt that Manipur is in a state of war.

And it is amid this war situation, not warlike situation, that the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) has come out with fire and brimstone to say that the Meiteis are today their warring enemies.

Not the first that such a statement has come out from either side of the clash divide and clearly here is a case of words following the madness that can be heard in the battlecry and the sounds of firing that are heard at the foothills of Manipur!

Clear that even after more than 60 days of violence erupting on May 3, Manipur is yet to start her first step towards peace and normalcy.

At one level the reason should be easy enough to understand while at another level there will be no answer off the shelf on why the violence should continue for so long.

The why becomes easy to understand when one looks beyond the immediate and try to see the objective that has been kept shielded by the hatred that has been fed and nurtured.

The first step towards the objective was taken the moment that huge crowd of people stepped outside the periphery of Churachandpur town and marched all the way to Torbung, located a good over 10 kms from Churachandpur, and lit the first match stick that initially set on fire some houses, but which soon spread to other parts of the State.

It was the retaliation from the Meiteis at Imphal that provided the needed impetus to take a giant leap towards the said objective.

Not surprising that KIM has always steered clear of recalling what actually happened at Torbung on May 3.

The ITLF and CoTU too will not touch this, for remember the first strike was delivered at Torbung and nowhere else.

And everyone knows who struck the first matchstick that sent Manipur up in flames.

For Manipur to take the first step towards normalcy, a look back at May 3 may be what conflict resolution experts may prescribe, in the given case.

This is how accountability can and should be fixed and not cover it up by feeding the wrong narratives to the outside world.

Too many people have died, too many houses have gone up in flames and many more have been displaced, but life goes on.

Yet this definitely cannot be the way in which life can go on for long.

This is the reality and this is where the political leaders of the day will need to think out of the box and see what steps should be taken up.

Equally important would be for the people to sincerely look inward and study if this is the life they want to bequeath to their children.

A beginning has to be made somewhere and that beginning can and should come from the people.

That beginning can be arrived by acknowledging what went wrong and what steps may be taken up to ensure that the wrong is not repeated in the future.

It is also certain that just like the madness continues, the silence of the Prime Minister will also continue in the coming days.

In short the indifference will continue and this is where the responsibility of the people becomes all that more crucial and important.