Manipur deserves Gallantry Award for Fake Encounter?

Dr. R.B. Thohe Pou *

Everyone in Manipur and whole northeastern states want to repel the AFSPA but the Ibobi Singh government in Manipur wants to run the government under the shadow of AFSPA. This government also wants to recruit more police force, Manipur commandoes and IRB for their protection and to kill more innocent people in the valley and in the hill districts. The state government should have given "gallantry award" to those police who have killed Sanjit in their fake encounter but why now probed by a judicial commission?

The Police who are supposed to be the guardian of the common people but they have taken many innocent people lives in Manipur. Since January 2007, the Manipur Police have killed 225 people in encounters where as the number of Naxalites killed across the country was only 447 (Indian Express). This year on 15th August celebration, the central government should have given "gallantry award" to Manipur State Police for their highest bravery fake encounter in India.

The Manipur state recruiting more IRB and increasing the Manipur Commandoes Force (MCF) from 400 to 1,600 personnel in last 4 years and proposal to raise a women's battalion shows their hidden dirty policies. It is not only the police but the different insurgents groups are also competing with the state police to kill the maximum number of innocent people.

It is alleged that the insurgents groups have killed 65 people for different reasons. It means that 290 people became the victims due to police force and insurgents. It is also reported in some papers that 497 people were killed in Manipur State in 2008 alone; this includes both fake encounters and other killing.

The Manipur state government has killed many innocent people in the valley by police and commandoes force and now the state is planning to extend their base to hill districts also to take more innocent lives. Can the state government guarantee that the IRB and MCF will not kill the innocent people in the valley and tribal in the hill districts?

The state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Ibobi Singh wants to torment and kill the innocent tribal in the hill districts in Manipur. The state government hidden ideology and policies to eliminate the Naga insurgents and other insurgents in the hill districts in disguise of trying to help the hill people may be appreciated and welcome by some section of the people.

However the people in the hill districts in Manipur are also not dull to understand their hidden policies. The State government recruiting more IRB and Manipur Commandoes force is fishy and one may need to study more minutely on this aspects.

The central government is working hard to eliminate all the insurgents groups from northeast India in last 50-60 years but they cannot solve the insurgent problem in northeast. Can the Manipur State government eliminate the insurgents from Manipur state and solve the insurgent problems?

Let us also ponder in this aspect: Is the Manipur state trying to eliminate the insurgent from the hill districts and valley by recruiting more commandoes force and IRB? The Assam Rifles - so called the "Friends of the Hills people", who turn out to be the "Enemy of the Hills people" are also trying to solve the insurgent problem through a peaceful means but they became the enemy of the hill people for torturing and killing the innocent people in Manipur and other states in North east India.

The recent development seminars in Bishnupur and Senpati, Union Home Secretary Gopal Pillai reviewed the security situation in the state with the clear-cut instructions against any extra-judicial killings. It may be wiser for the government of Manipur if the Manipur Commandoes Force and IRB does not become another "Enemy of the Hill People and Valley".

One of the most important aspects of fake encounter happening in the state is due to lack of police personnel in intelligent department. It is clearly observed that all kinds of fake encounter are only due to incapability of the intelligent work - may be in armed personnel or police personnel. When the state increased the number of IRB and Manipur commandoes without increasing the number of intelligent police personnel resulted to kill many more innocent people.

Secondly, the police personnel and armed personnel should treat the other people as one of their fellow human being. When there is no love and understanding in their operation - many times the result is just opposite. They may want to control and remove all those unwanted elements for the welfare of the people but due to lack of love and understanding, they kill the innocent people inhumanly.

Thirdly, the state and central government should take stern action on those armed personnel, IRB and MCF and bring into justice when they violate and hold responsible in any kind of fake encounter or ill-treatment done to the civilians unnecessarily. This is in order to bring trust and build better relationship between the armed personnel and the civilians. In this way, it would also reduce the fake encounter and other inhuman treatment done by the armed personnel to the civilians.

In current situation in Manipur, we may need Armed Personnel and Manipur Commandoes Force only for development purpose in the valley and in hill districts; they may need to check that the insurgents do not directly involve in developmental fund released by the central government.

If not, the state government should not recruit more IRB and other forces to torment and kill the innocent people in the valley or in the hill districts. People in the valley and in the hill districts of Manipur are draining due to AFSPA and we don't need more armed personnel force, IRB and MCF in Manipur State.

It is enough! Let the people take a deep breath and have a good sleep now.