Cauldron of communal tension : Violence with a purpose ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 18 2015 -

Gwaltabi, Pallel, Mapao Khullen or Thingshat village and Patsoi.

All places within Manipur, but a disturbing common strand runs through all of them.

Communal tension accompanied by violence. Violence with a purpose ?

As things stand today, common sense seems to have ridden over the more despicable side of man’s nature but this is no guarantee that things will not take a turn for the worse in the future.

Everyone knows what happened to the places named above, but has anyone cared or felt it necessary to deeply study why and how such developments came about ?

Violence is not something new to Manipur and apart from the running battle between the numerous armed outfits and the Government, the place has already witnessed some extremely dangerous events.

The Kuki-Naga confrontations of the early 90s, the Meitei-Meitei Pangal riot of the same period, the Kuki-Paite clash in the latter part of the 90s and the simmering tension amongst all the communities here and things should be more than clear that the Manipur of today is far removed from the Sanaleibak of the forefathers and elders.

Too many to jot it down in details, but suffice it to say that apart from these major conflagrations, Manipur has witnessed ugly stand offs between communities and if care is not taken there is no guarantee that things will not take a turn for the worse.

All the more reason for those elements who stand by everything that goes against the interest of Manipur to watch the present scenario with glee.

Violence will only mean gifting capital to the common nemesis, the people who stand to gain when Manipur burns. Now who wants it ?

Absolutely made no sense to abduct three people, including the two who were killed while under ‘interrogation’ and assaulting a minor on one charge or the other.

Moreover there was absolutely no sense in killing a truck driver during the bandh that followed to protest the twin murder as well as the act of razing a place of worship to the ground.

Playing the communal card, that is what it was. Unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination.

Time also ripe for Delhi and Imphal to review the Suspension of Operation pact signed with numerous outfits.

The whip should be cracked and a clear message should be sent out that no one has the right to create mayhem and sow seeds of discord amongst the communities under the cover of peace.

What happened at Thingshat village was to a large extent the act of a group of desperadoes taking cover under the SoO pact.

Delhi should come to the point that peace cannot be seen only through the prism of the guns going silent between the underground outfits and the security forces.

Peace would be a joke if the outfits continue to exact their toll from the common people under the protection of any agreement be it SoO or ceasefire or whatever name it comes under.

Review the SoO pact and award befitting punishment on the cadres who have been arrested for the twin murder and assault of one.

A similar line of action too should be taken up against those who killed a truck driver and torched a place of worship.