Rising star, fallen angel
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 21, 2014 -
The news of the 12-year old Maisnam Meiraba Luwang winning the championship titles in both single and double of Under-13 Boy’s events in the prestigious Aros Cup Youth International Badminton Tournament-2014 at Denmark on April 20 is surely an occasion that calls for joy and celebration among all the people living in Manipur irrespective of to which community they belong to.
But we can’t help wondering how this news must have been received in the family of the 13-year old minor girl who was raped by a 65-year old man who is old enough to be her grandfather, specially in view of the fact that the resultant public protest and outcry over police firing that led to loss of a precious human life had been settled in such a questionable manner between the JAC and the State Government.
Its true that the man who committed the crime had been arrested and remanded to police custody till April 26, but in the agreement that was signed between the representatives of the JAC and the State Government on April 19 evening, the betrayal of trust that the young rape victim experienced in the hands of the lecherous old man after she was taken to cast proxy vote for his daughter who is away from home and the subsequent trauma from the brutal violation of her sacred body and soul that she may have to live with for the rest of her life was completely missing from the talks and the agreement signed.
The agreement that the representatives of the Government comprising Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, MLA of Sekmai A/C Kh Deben and MLA of Kangpokpi A/C Nemcha Kipgen ‘extracted’ from the JAC was all about appeasing the agitators with job offer to the next of kins of the man who was killed in the unwarranted police firing and monetary help for treatment to those who sustained injuries in the police action so that the road block along the Imphal-Dimapur road stretch of National Highway-2 was called off immediately.
And the representatives of the JAC who appended their signatures have simply nodded their heads to the offer.
How the poor girl, whose life has been shattered, is to be rehabilitated or what kind of support is to be given to her and her family members to help in overcoming the trauma they are going through or better still what kind of measures that the Government is planning is taking up to ensure no more young girls fall prey to the carnal desires of old lecherous men who are loitering around, did not come across the minds of the JAC members who were there to negotiate and settle the issue with the Government.
This prompted us to question the integrity of JAC members, who, apart from forgetting the root cause of the whole problem, did not even think it proper to disclose the agreement inked with the Government to angry people in time.
While the insensitivity of the State Government towards the issue of protection of young children is well-known, it is because of such people with dubious integrity that Manipur has to keep shedding tears for fallen angels even on a day to celebrate the achievement of a young rising star.
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