Time to rein in political hooligans
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 18, 2023 -

THE kind of public outrage that has been witnessed after the incident of indiscriminate firing that left five people including a woman injured at Sega Road Khwairakpam Leikai on October 14 night is an indicative of a growing angst against the activities of armed hooligans with political clout, which, of course, is not confined to Manipur alone but prevalent all over the country today like spreading of an invasive pest.

Until very recently, all that the angry public in Manipur could do to show their discontentment over any act of omission or commission is to organise a sit-in protest demonstration or take out a rally to submit memorandum highlighting their demands to the government and its related authorities while pleading for taking up necessary remedial measures.

Other than this, they have not much option but to wait for the authority concerned or the law enforcing agencies to do their job, which may or may not be able to the satisfaction of the aggrieved parties.

So, it could be easy for anyone to dismiss the manner in which a large number of people, mostly young people, who are members of Youth of Manipur (YOM), gheraoed the Wangkhei Ningthem Pukhri Mapal residence of former president of Bharatiya janata Yuva Morcha (BjYM) Manipur unit Manoharmayum Barish Sharma, who is alleged to be the prime accused in the firing incident that took place at Sega Road Khwairakpam Leikai on October 14 night, and compelled his family members and locality to own up responsibility for the injuries caused to five people including a woman as unruly public taking the law into their own hands. However, before passing any definite judgement, one needs to understand why such an unprecedented event has happened in the instant case.

Of course, there have been instances in the past in which angry public took the law into their hands and vandalised houses and properties of accused people, who were later turned out to innocent after trial in law court.

But such instances are few and far between, and not the norm. By saying this, we are in no way alluding that people should to break the laws of the land that have been enacted to govern the state and the country.

Rule of law is essential not only for ensuring peace and stability but also for achieving economic and social progress in a civilised society.

But this can be possible only when there is respect for law of rule from both sides, the government and the governed.

Contrary to this, how the criminalisation of politics and hooliganism that stems from it has brought about a steady erosion of the democratic rights and personal freedom in the society is well-known to all today.

The situation has come to such a pass that people in power and anyone with connections have come to live under the impression that they could get away with anything, without any question of accountability on their misconducts.

In the instant case too, the manner in which Manoharmayum Barish Sharma first threatened a Facebook user to apologise over a post, which he finds objectionable and later sent masked armed miscreants to whisk him away, shows how some people with political clout are throwing their weight around and acting with complete disregard of laws of the land to silence dissenting voices.

It is to the credit of young members of YOM that no untoward incident had happened despite such a large gathering of angry people at the residence of Barish other than compelling his family members to own up responsibility for the injuries caused to five people including a woman in the firing incident and the locality to ensure arrest of Barish within 48 hours.

If truth be told, this could have been avoided too, if the government and its law enforcement agencies had acted swiftly to pull up Barish, who is out on bail after he was booked and spent jail time in another case registered under section 25(1-A) Arms Act earlier.