Actors on the stage of Imphal War Cemetery : Chapter II of the Battle of Imphal
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 30 , 2014 -

II World War Cemetery, Imphal (2011) :: Pix - Robert Lourembam Ningthouja

Living up to the immortal quote from William Shakespeare, ‘All The World Is A Stage And All The Men and Women Merely Players’, but with a difference, a big difference, if one may add. Apply this to the present juncture and Imphal or more particularly the Imphal War Cemetery, Deulalane is the stage and the actors are the dignitaries from across the world who arrived here for the Battle of Imphal Anniversary, the State Government and the encroachers who have occupied 0.8 acre of the 7.90 acres of the War Cemetery.

And so even as the present generations, whose forefathers fought against each other in what is today voted as the biggest and fiercest battle of WWII, sat down together, exchanged pleasantries and paid their respect to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty, came the news that the sanctity of the Imphal War Cemetery has been defiled with encroachers occupying 0.8 acre of the land earmarked for the historic site.

Encroachment is not unique in Manipur, but there is a difference between encroaching on khasland or Government land and making inroads into places of historical value and definitely the Imphal War Cemetery fits the bill of a historic place to the T.

A sure indicator that the State Government has not been paying any attention to this historic place and this is a crying shame.

Simple logic says that the encroachment could not have been done overnight, but is a gradual process, which underscores the point that the State Government has not really understood or does not care to understand the historical importance of the place.

This is hard to digest, especially in the backdrop of the fact that the Battle of Imphal has been voted as the most crucial turning point in WWII, ahead of D Day and Normandy.

If sports and the rich culture of the land have put Manipur on the National and international map, then definitely the Battle of Imphal has also drawn the attention of the international community to Manipur, which hitherto was known as a State located in the remote North East region of India.

This also goes against the grain of the recent Cabinet decision to set up a Committee to promote tourism in line with the Look East Policy.

It is difficult to say who is the bigger villain here.

The encroachers or the indifference of the Government all these years but it is a true reflection of how the affairs of the State is being run and managed.

That the State Government has now taken note of the encroachment may sound encouraging, but to a large extent the damage has already been done.

Do not be surprised if some of the encroachers have obtained pattas for the land they have occupied.

This may sound like a pre-supposition, but could be a reality given the fact that corruption rules the roost in Government departments.

As corrective measures the Government may initiate moves to evict the encroachers, but this is not going to be an easy task.

There will be legal hurdles, to be sure, especially if any of them have obtained pattas.

The Battle of Imphal anniversary has wound up, but now be ready for chapter II of the Battle of Imphal, albeit a battle of a different kind.

The universal observation that there are no winners in any war also applies to the battle that awaits Imphal War Cemetery now or between the encroachers and the State Government.

There will be no winners here too, but losers and the losers will be Manipur and her people as a whole.

Thanks to its ineptness, culture of corruption and refusal to learn from the past the State Government has already lost the first round, for in giving the opportunity to certain people to encroach upon a historic site, the Congress Government has demonstrated that it cannot be entrusted with the task of protecting the heritage of the land.

This is the tragedy that we have been living with for more than 10 years and will continue at least till 2017.