Introspection needed both in hills and valley

Thangkhanlal Ngaihte *

I have just been to my hometown, Lamka, Churachandpur. This feisty town has now become famous because of the massive protests against three “anti-tribal” bills passed by the Manipur Assembly on 31 August 2015 which led to the death of nine “tribal martyrs”. These nine tribal protestors, who died on 31 August and 1 September 2015 have not been buried till today.

Much concern have been expressed about the nine bodies still unburied; the Joint Action Committee set up to spearhead the tribal agitations, together with the tribal apex bodies had earlier tried to bury the bodies on 6 October and 30 November. These decisions could not be carried out due to popular opposition and desire of the martyrs’ families that the martyrs be buried only when the causes they died for are addressed. The amount collected from the public for condolence of the martyrs have exceeded Rs. 1 crore.

In the main, the causes relate to the three bills, the killing of the protestors with live bullets and the larger issue of tribal deprivations in Manipur.

The bills, which were referred to the President for his assent, are unlikely to be assented in their present form. While the Churachandpur police have registered a suo moto FIR on the incidents leading to the deaths, they have refused to entertain the demand for a second FIR based on complaints from the martyrs’ families. The issue is still hanging fire.

In Delhi, the indefinite rally at Jantar Mantar under the aegis of Manipur Tribals’ Forum, Delhi (MTFD) since 4 November 2015 have continued (On 28 January, the MTFD announced that the rally will be converted into weekly rallies.

But the Jantar Mantar campsite will be preserved with the coffins and everyone is free to visit and pay homage all through the week). The rally starts from around 5 pm continued till around 9 pm with speeches, songs and slogans. This unprecedented daily rally have continued through Christmas and New Year without any breaks.

Most of those who regularly come to this rally are working people, the elderly and university students. Many of these people were pushed out of their home state by adverse circumstances. Many of them are now well-settled with jobs in Government and private companies. But they still deeply care about their community back home and have become the major drivers of the tribal movement now.

With the bills caught in a stalemate, the immediate issue for the tribal protesters in Delhi seem to be justice for the martyrs in the form of punishment for the guilty police personnel and 6th schedule of the Constitution. The MTFD have been demanding, among others, for immediately placing the “tribal Hill Areas of Manipur within the 6th Schedule of the Constitution under an empowered model which is powerful enough to guarantee their constitutional rights relating to land, identity and community.”

Back in Churachandpur, people try to cope. After a very subdued Christmas and New Year, people are struggling to get on with their lives. The JAC Against the three “anti-tribal” bills had, in November, suspended its daily public programmes at the mortuary inside Churachandpur District Hospital where the dead bodies are kept and declared that normal life will resume.

But life is anything but normal. Every day, the martyrs’ families and the sympathizing public come to the morgue around noon and keep vigil till evening. They told me that though they have been advised to take things easy, it was impossible for them to stay home and rest while the bodies lie unburied. To me, they are the starkest reminders about the fierce urgency of the crisis even as no solution is in sight.

Also, they are testimony to the fact that the martyrs’ remaining unburied is not part of some lazy, cynical plot to gain some political mileage or score points; no one wants a respectable closure on them more than the families themselves. They have been suffering and mourning every single day since 31 August 2015.

In the midst of the tragedy, rancour and bitterness, there is also much soul-searching and introspection. The fact that the tribal MLAs did not oppose the three bills during its introduction and passing, that they refuse to resign afterwards and that they still choose not be on the side of the people’s movement have exposed all that are wrong with politics and elections in the State.

More than 3000 youths have recently signed up to a social reform and moral revival movement called “Tuailai 1434 Pro”, initiated by the Evangelical Baptist Convention, a Church. This movement is based on Proverbs 14:34 which proclaims: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”

One of the major pledge made is to proactive work to cleanse the election process and fight electoral malpractices, apart from, of course, to fight corruption in all its manifestations. How much positive impact this will have to the society and politics in the future remains to be seen. This kind of introspection is a need not only for the tribal people, but also for the Meitei people in the valley. There must be a reason why everyone wants to be separate from Manipur.

The basic problem in Manipur is that nobody feel and act like it is their own state. We are such unhappy people. We are all fed up and sees no hope. Our collective mindset is escapist. We elect the same government repeatedly, and takes a confrontational position towards it from the day after elections and till the next election.

Everyone is the victim. Everyone and every community complains. Everyone blames somebody else. No one and no community have the sincerity to own up mistakes and make serious amends.

No one have the large heart to try to rebuild from the ground up. Everyone excels in symbolic acts, more so in the plains than hills. All that the government do is day-to-day crisis-management. Some people asks why things are so bad.

May be, we are just getting what we deserve. May be, we are just reaping what we sowed.