Dangers of rumour mongers : Advising more transparency
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 23, 2012 -

Silence is definitely not the better part of valour right now. It is not the right strategy either.

Home Minister Gaikhangam should realise that it is better in the interest of the place and the people that maintaining a certain level of transparency is a better option than adopting an aloof stand.

The 60 hours bandh called by the JAC Against The Abduction of Irungbam Irabanta may appear localised to Lamlai area but this should not lull the Government into complacency and blind it to the simmering tension running through the people.

The need to show that the Government is indeed doing something concrete to trace the missing man is indispensable, it is the least the men at the helm of affairs should do, if only to go some way in helping ease the tension.

As things stand today, many loose talks bordering on rumours are doing the round and it is not something that complex to comprehend how damaging such talks can be.

Loose and wild talks are the least that Manipur needs at this moment and one effective measure to neutralise this is for the Government to talk, albeit in a manner that will not jeopardise the investigation into the case.

This is the time for the Government and the people to walk together and one effective way would be to open up a little more so that no rooms are given to rumour mongers.

Misinformation could be lethal to the people and the land for this can blur the dividing line between the rational and the irrational and between the truth and the untruth.

And keeping the people in the dark is the perfect opportunity for misinformation to rear its ugly head. As the Home Minister Mr Gaikhangam should know this.

There is the need to appreciate the delicate situation and take it seriously. It would be in the fitness of things for the Government to acknowledge that there is every possibility that this case may be taken as something more than a man being abducted by an armed group and this is all the more reason why it should not treat the matter casually.

The uncomfortable point is, the seeming lack of urgency on the part of the Government. Open a hotline through which the public can keep the police informed if they come across any suspicious movement.

This may also go a long way in making the people feel that they are party to the investigation going on. It will certainly help if the police can open up a little more and keep the people informed on the case, without jeopardising its investigation process or exposing the abducted man to any danger.

For instance what could be the primary motive for the abduction ?

Or is any armed group involved or is it the handiwork of some people, who may or may not belong to an armed group ?

Answers to these questions may help in clearing any sense of doubts and misgivings.

A misplaced sense of anger or frustration can kick off a series of unwanted chain reaction.

This is also the time for the people of Ukhrul district to mount the pressure on the people responsible for abducting Irabanta.

Convey the message that the people as a whole are against such acts as abducting a man and keeping him captive for nearly 60 days.