Thugs donning peace fatigues : Price of murky side of peace
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 07 , 2013 -

From battle fatigues to donning the peace flag. Yet the peace flag unable to hide or neutralise the thug persona while they donned the battle fatigues. Paying the price of the murky side of peace.

The people of Manipur have seen this and more. Delhi mandarins, Chief Minister O Ibobi and his men, the security personnel, including the Army, Assam Rifles, the State police and others may pat themselves on their back, in the face of numerous armed groups coming forward to hold political negotiations with the Government, yet at the same time, it stands true that the people of this State continue to pay the price of peace.

Guns going silent between the erstwhile rebel groups and State security agencies cannot exactly be termed as peace, as long as writs and diktats of the former rebels continue to dictate the lives of the people.

An outstanding example is the failure of the elected members of the Autonomous District Councils, especially Ukhrul district, unable to discharge their duties from their district headquarters. The threat perception looms large.

More than a failure of the Government to provide protection to the elected members, but more of a case of the armed groups, which have signed peace pacts, being in a position to strike out at will.

A more than enough indication that those cadres who have come overground are given the long rope.

Damn the ground rules. Extortions, christened ‘taxes’ to ostensibly demonstrate that they are a Government unto themselves continue unabated, not to talk about killings and abducting for ransom.

The ceasefire pact between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India is not officially extended to the soil of Manipur, however this is besides the point for the fact stands that their writ continues to run large in their areas of domination, defeating the very understanding and notion of peace. Same is the case with the numerous Kuki armed groups which have inked the Suspension of Operations pact with both Delhi and Imphal. The Sangai Express does not exactly have the figure, but at the last count there must have been at least three/four groups which have come forward to ink a peace pact and start a political dialogue with the Government.

On whose behalf these groups are going to talk with the Government is a different matter but it is more than clear that under the facade of the peace process, they continue to extract their pound of flesh from the public.

The latest example that comes to mind is the arrest of Wahengbam Ramananda alias Rousow, the self proclaimed general secretary of the Lallumba faction of the KCP (MC) in connection with the abduction of a non-local man on December 3.

The Imphal East police did a good job in cracking the case in no time, but there hangs a question on how a member of a group which has signed a peace pact with the Government was behind the abduction of a man.

To be sure the abduction must be for ransom, though this has not been officially confirmed so far or has not come out on the public domain.

It is also interesting to note that the statement issued by the Imphal East SP on the arrest of Ramananda did not mention anything about him being a member of a group which has come to the negotiating table.

Political compulsion ?

An effort to not rock the boat ?

Either way, it says something very significant about how many of the former rebels have not been able to shed the thuggish side of their character, with the Government obviously preferring to look the other way round.

The point is, for too long, the people of Manipur have had to pay the price of peace so much so that peace process or peace pacts have lost their sheen and appeal.

A sure shot prescription for people to lose faith in the version of peace tom tommed by the Government and this does not augur well for anyone.