Frankenstein's monster out of control
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 02, 2024 -
VALIDATING the worst fear that we had talked about repeatedly and warned of time and again, Frankenstein's monster is indeed getting out of control today for all to see in broad daylight and without pretence.
Although Chief Minister N Biren Singh had expressed optimism of a positive outcome from the efforts being made by despatching the Director General of Police (DGP) to negotiate, there has been no news (till the time of writing this commentary) about securing the safe release of two Meetei youths, who are being held hostage by armed Kuki-Chin militants since September 27.
So, one could say with surety that the fate of the two abducted duo still hangs in the balance.
The chief minister or any other government officials including the Union Home Ministry-appointed security advisor Kuldiep Singh may not have said anything explicitly about the demands made by the abductors, but it is widely believed that the armed Kuki-Chin militants have, among other demands, placed the special condition on releasing one Mark Thangmang Haokip, who is currently in the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA), in exchange for the release of two Meetei youths in their captivity.
It is this demand that has validated our worst fear of Frankenstein's monster getting out of control.
With the government of India consistently turning a blind eye to the illegal activities being carried out by Kuki-Chin militant groups with the smug pride having succeeded in bringing them under the agreement of Suspension of Operation (SoO), it's no wonder armed Kuki-Chin militant groups have today become so brazenly emboldened that they could dictate terms for securing the release of one their leaders, who is currently in the custody of the country' specialised counter-terrorism law enforcement agency since May, 2022 after he was booked under sections 120-B, 121, 121-A, 123, and 400 of the IPC and sections 17/18 of the UA(P) Act.
As this is yet another manifestation of the failure of government of India, more particularly, its Home Ministry to rein in the Kuki-Chin militants, who are supposed to be bound by the SoO agreement, everyone is saying that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should intervene and secure the release of two Meetei youths so as to avoid escalation of tension in the already strife-torn state.
So, everyone would be waiting to see how the Union Home Minister handles the issue. But we would like to look elsewhere and point to another direction for resolving the issue for the common good of all.
This brings us to the question of how any of the common Kuki-Chin people who have been made to believe that they are taking up arms to defend their respective villages from the alleged unprovoked attacks by the Meeteis to grab their land would be feeling now.
As citizens of this country, do they think the demand for releasing Mark Thangmang Haokip, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to secede from India and abetting waging of a war against the government of India by raising funds for use in various terrorist activities through an outfit called the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Kukiland (CPDRK) is justifiable?
Duped as they have been all along and their gullibility exploited to the hilt, it may be difficult for the common Kuki-Chin people to give an immediate answer to this question.
But one thing is for sure. If they are truly God-fearing Christian men and women, their conscience would have been pricked by now, looking at the development that has taken place in the aftermath of the abduction of three Meetei youths, one of whom was later either set free or rescued by the security forces, after they lost their way to an Assam Rifles camp for taking part in SSC GD interview.
If anything untoward happens to the two Meetei youths, who are still being held hostage as a bargaining chip for securing the release of Mark Thangmang Haokip or any other accused lodged in the jail for their alleged criminal activities, keeping silent today is going to weigh heavily on the heart of everyone tomorrow.
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