An Inconvenient Truth
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 29, 2012 -

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and others officials posing for a group photo with the surrendered UG cadres :: Pix - HL

Probably, all of us know that 'An Inconvenient Truth' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people on global warming.

After its first premier in Sundance Film Festival, 2006 and its subsequent release worldwide, the documentary went on to win both critical as well as box-office success, topping the honour with two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song.

Commercially, the film has grossed $24 million in the U.S alone and $26 million in the foreign box office, thus becoming the 9th highest grossing documentary films to date in the United States.

Regardless of the scientific controversy centering around the issue of global warming, the film has been today credited for raising International awareness on climate change and re-energising environmental movement around the globe.

This write up, however, has got nothing to with the inconvenient truth about global warming and its possible impact on the earth and its creatures.

Nor it is remotely connected to the slide show presentation of Al Gore in a town hall that inspires the two producers of the award-winning documentary, Laurie David and Lawrence Bender, to rope in the service of Director Lawrence Bender for adapting the presentation into a film.

Well, this write up is about a far more 'inconvenient truth' that plays on the psyche of the people in this strife-torn state, and the impact of which is so confusing, yet so clear that people are left dumb-founded not knowing whom to believe and trust.

On September 26, 114 UG cadres including five women cadres belonging to 11 different groups reportedly laid down their arms and surrendered before Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, Home Minister Gaikhangam and IGAR (South) Major General UK Gurung in what the PRO Assam Rifles described as 'a simple yet landmark homecoming ceremony' at the Mantripukhri military complex of IGAR (S).

Interestingly, unlike in such homecoming ceremonies in the past, which were always unfailingly followed by denial by the UG groups concerned, this time around proscribed RPF has been one step ahead in predicting about the impending homecoming aka 'surrender drama'.

Moreover, in an unprecedented manner, Assam Rifles has kept the identification of the surrendered UG cadres and the details of the arms laid down closely guarded apart from simply stating that out of the 114 cadres 18 of them belong to UNLF, 11 to PLA, 9 to KCP, 17 to KYKL, 18 to PREPAK, 12 to KNLF, 1 to UPRF, 2 to KNLA, 6 to UPPK, 4 to UNPC and 16 to PULF and the surrendered arms and ammunition included some AK 47 rifles, HK Rifles, Lathode gun, Carbines, Revolvers, Pistols and two RT sets.

Now, the question that remains uppermost in the mind of the confused people is why the Assam Rifles find it 'inconvenient' to reveal the truth if it is what the PRO claims to be the history creating effort towards promotion of peace and harmony in Manipur?