Manipur Police - A threat to democracy?

N Albert *

Student protest and clash with Police at Imphal City with one student died on July 08 2015 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

I am still in deep shock to see the condition of Wangthoi, a 19 year old boy who was assaulted by the Manipur police commando for taking part in the recent ILP protest. Several questions have been haunting me on how the law functions in Imphal. Some of them are

1) Was not the Manipur police commando commissioned to protect the people?

2) Do they have the authority to beat any person so severely without any orders?

3) If he had commited a crime, do they have the legal authority to punish him? Or can they give him instant justice ?this shows that everyone is in danger except some VIPS.

4) Where has right to life under article 21 gone? It states that “the right to life” is a moral principle based on the belief that a human being has the right to live and, in particular, should not to be unjustly treated by another human being.

5) If he had committed a Crime, can the commandos just tell he is guilty without doing trails in Court? Or in Manipur, are courts not necessary? Or is it a fancy stuff?

The constitution also clearly states if a person commits a crime, he must be prosecuted at a court and must be trailed? Where has this gone?

6) According to the constitution, “Whether the complaint (FIR) is true or false, does not matter, the Police have no right or authority to beat up or assault the accused even though the concerned court remand (sent) him to the Police custody” did they forget this or do they even know or have any idea about this law? Do the Manipur police commandos have any knowledge about the Indian Constitution?

7) Have the commandos forgotten that there is still a law which governs them and they cannot do whatever they like? Has not the commandos crossed their limits?

8) Now, who will take the blame for injuries of Wangthoi?

It’s very sad that in Manipur (which is a part of India), a person can treated like this so badly, or is the Indian constitution not valid here? Moreover, the government will not do anything and will not book the culprits. This is a serious case of human rights violation and a clear violation of article 21. Why is the Modi Government not checking these clear cases of violations? Or is he concerned only about trade and money?

10) Even after getting beaten and with several open wounds, he was made to swim in a very dirty drain, is this act correct or is this under the law? Or did not they learn some basic science, or are their certificates all bought ones? Even a Child of 7 years knows that an opened wound if exposed has a chance of getting infections and titanus.

11) Where has humanity gone? Are they all barbaric nomads? Don’t they have a family? Don’t they have brothers and Sisters?

Moreover, The Constitution states that each and every right is granted to every citizen of India, are not we citizens? Or are there still exceptions in terms of citizenship like first class, second class, third class?

Democracy, the law, the constitution has simply failed after all this things that has happened in Manipur, Should I be calling myself a proud Indian? A proud citizen? When the government can’t even grant us a simple basic right.

On July 8th, Sapam Robinhood, a 16 year old boy killed in the ILP protest and many others have been left injured, various questions have been raised on the training given to the commandos to control huge crowds.

The Manipur police commandos is known for being notorious and they are involved in several cases of fake encounters, the most famous one being the killing of Sanjit and Rabina in plain sight in Imphal in 2011.

The main aim of the commandos should be to protect the people but it seems they are against the people. It’s very clear that the commandos are a potential threat to democracy and to our rights. The government should punish all the accused and must take up steps to improve the character and quality of the Police for good.