Devil's Advocate : Deranged Man and Protestors

Bimol Akoijam *

Save Sharmila Campaign at Rajghat, New Delhi on June 25 2011

Amidst the sultry tropical weather, a group of protestors repeatedly shout, "Save Sharmila!!!!"

Some of the protestors pass on the leaflet that they have been distributing to people to a deranged man who happens to pass by. Shaken by what is written on the leaflets, the deranged man seeks to strike a conversation with the protestors. Initially, seeing the odd looks of the man, some of them laugh at him and teasingly calls out one guy, who happens to be one of the leaders of those protestors, to entertain the deranged man. He, along with a few, decides to take a break from the protracted protest, and have a conversation with the deranged man.

As such, they need some rest as they have been shouting for a while and it will be some time before those who have gone in a police vehicle to summit a memorandum to the PM or his office, something that they have never failed to do so each time they organised such a protest during the last decade, return to the protest site.

As they sit down, one of them asks the deranged man, "So, what do you want to know"?

Deranged man (Henceforth, DM): Why are you supporting Sharmila?

Leader of the protestors (Henceforth, LP): Because Iche Sharmila has been on a fast!

DM: Oh, you support her because she's been fasting?
"Yes, yes!" Some of the protestors answer almost in unison!

The leader continues in all seriousness, "Yes, Iche Sharmila has been fasting for the last 11 years!"

DM: Oh I see! So you are supporting her because she is on a fast?
LP: Yes

DM: Why don't you ask her to eat; In fact, still better, since you seem to love her so much, why don't you offer her food, instead of protesting like this?
LP: You mad!? She's on fast for 11 years!!!!

DM: That's what…you shouldn't have allowed her to go hungry for so long?
The deranged man continues, scratching his head as he glances at the leaflet and looks at those protestors.

LP: She has been forced-fed all these years… She won't eat!

DM: Too bad!
LP: What!!!!?

Taken by surprise, the leader retorts back. The deranged man continues again.

DM: You people love her so much and protesting all these while in this weather and she refuses to eat! I don't understand. Doesn't she love you? If she loves, I think she will start eating food!

The deranged man continues.

Hearing his remark, the protestors look at each other and some of them become visibly perturbed by the remark. One of them says in Meteilon (a dominant language which consists of a group of Manipuri dialects spoken by people in the valley of Manipur as their mother-tongue…like the Mandarin amongst the Chinese), "Masi angaobashi… mathong maram khangdaba… kaothatlu… fujillaga fadouni… mee ushittaba… makok yaodaba" (this mad man has no sense, kick him, it's better to beat him up… brainless fellow).

The leader looks at them and says, "Ngaikho… tapthakho… angaobaga maanaraga kei kandoino" (Wait… what you will get if we do that with a mad man"!)

DM: You angry?
LP: Of course not!

Being a seasoned leader, with a touch of diplomacy, he smiles as he answers. Then, he looks at his followers with another smile.

DM: So, does she love you people?
LP: Yes, she loves us, why would she fast if she does not love us, the people Manipur!?

DM: That's all the more reason for her to call off the fast so that you don't protest like this in such weather!
One among the protestors menacingly walks towards the deranged man and says, "Shut up!"

LP: Wait! The leader stops the guy and then looks at the deranged man and continues, "See, she won't eat until the Armed Forces Special Power Act has been repealed by the Govt Of India".

DM: Oh, then you should be fighting against that Act, rather than SUPPORTING HER BECAUSE SHE IS ON FAST!
The leader thinks for a while and answers, "That's what we are doing"!

DM: But you said, you people are SUPPORTING SHARMILA BECAUSE SHE IS ON A FAST! Didn't you say that?
The leader looks at the deranged man and his followers. Then he continues.

LP: Yeah…err...but it's the same thing!

DM: No! How can it be?
LP: What do you mean?

DM: If she decides to call off the fast or something happens to her, what will you do?
The leader shots back, "Then, you will see a civil war if anything happens to her! Government of India will be solely responsible… God forbid, if something bad happens to her!

DM: And Armed Forces Special Powers Act?
The leader and protestors look at each others.

The deranged man reads the leaflet again and scratches his head, and looks up at the leader of the protestors, and says, "So, she has been fighting against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, uummm...I see"

"Yes, she has been fighting against this draconian Act", replies the leader of the protestors.

DM: I know
LP: How do you know?

As their leader asks the question, looking at the clothing and dishevel hair of the deranged man who keeps on scratching his head, the other protestors smile.

DM: Oh, it's written here…this leaflet that you have given me.
LP: Oh!....So?

The deranged man scratches his head again as he continues to read the leaflet all over again. Then he looks at the protestors and their leader.

DM: So? Ummm...do you support Sharmila because of she is fighting against the Act?
LP: Yes, we support her because she is fighting against AFSPA

DM: You should have told me that. Instead, you said, you are supporting Sharmila because she is ON A FAST!
And the protestors again look at each others.

"Why is she against this Act?" asks the deranged man.

LP: It deprives us of our basic human rights like the "Right to life"

DM: You mean, AFSPA deprives you of your "Right to Life"?
LP: yes

DM: How?
LP: It allows the army to shoot, even causing death, on the basis of mere suspicion! It's there in the leaflet.

DM: yeah…I see that but this is wrong…
LP: That's it…we have been wronged...

DM: No, I mean what you are writing here is wrong. You write here and also say that AFSPA deprives you of the "Right to life", but it does not!
LP: What!?

DM: Yes, AFSPA does not deny "Right to life"!
LP: How can you say that? This Act gives power to security forces to shoot to kill even on the basis of suspicion, it's unconstitutional…

DM: But that was what those who fought against the Act have said in the Supreme Court and the Court has given its judgment that says that the Act is constitutional and the soldier cannot shoot and take the life of a citizen arbitrarily. He must have reasonable ground to justify the suspicion because the Constitution still protects the citizen's "Right to life" as the Constitution is not suspended while the Act is in operation.

The leader and protestors seem to get puzzled by this observation of the deranged man. And they look at each other. Looking at the leader, the deranged man continues, "Have you read the Supreme Court Judgment?"

The leader stares at the deranged man for while and then uneasily looks at his followers. Slowly turning towards the deranged man, he says, "Errr ahh err…well...errr...yes…long time back!"

As they hear their leader, the followers look at each other. There is an element of disbelieve in their glances on what their leader has just said and their own experssions also seem to indicate that they haven't probably read the judgment even though they have been protesting against this Act for years, repeatedly shouting all these while, the same slogans as they did before their challenge against the Act in Court was rejected by the Supreme Court in 1997.

DM: Then, why are you saying that AFSPA denies "Right to life"?
The leader keeps quite for a while and looks at his followers, then says, "Well…I don't agree…you know it is democracy, people have the right to disagree"!

DM: True, but under the democratic system, Judiciary is important, and the Highest Court has given its Judgment which has rejected the view that the Act denies "Right to Life". Anyway, you must have a reason to disagree? Why do you disagree? What are your reasons behind your diagreement?

LP: Ummm err...leave the Judgment...reasons and all that...it's all talks...those are all "theories". We have to understand the "ground reality"!

One of the protestors says, "Yes, yes, theories are not important, we must know the ground reality!"

DM:"Theories"? All talks? Aren't you also only talking, your slogans and this leaflet?
LP: What!?

DM: Anyway, is "Right to life" a theory or "ground reality"? Is there such a real thing called "Right to life", people do get killed in reality anyway, not only in Manipur. So is "Right to Life" a reality or a theory?

The leader seems to be taken aback by this question of the deranged man. Just as he seems to ponder over it, one of the protestors says in Meiteilon, "Tok-o yaare..angaobasiga waari touranu…kari kanndoino" (it's ok, stop it, there is no point in talking with this mad man). Another chips in, "Masi mee-se ngaosinnaba oiramganee…Govt ki agent oiramgani…intelligence agency-sing-gee ki mee soidana oiramgani… ngaoragabu kamaina maana mee-gee judgment-kado paramdoi-no" (this man must be impersonating as a mad man…he must be an agent of the govt…a member of the intelligence agencies…how can a mad man read judgment and all that)!

Still another protestor looks at the guy suspiciously, then turns to his other colleagues and says, "Masi nupa-se moi-gee atoppa group-ki mee oiramgani…Iche Sharmila-da support touganu, AFSPA-ki fight-ta oina support tou kai-na ngashai haikhrido" (This guy must be from the other group, that's why he was saying that we should fight against AFSPA, not support Sharmila)!

Then the deranged man interrupts them, looking at them and then at their leader, he says, "What are they saying?"

Looking at the deranged man, the leader replies, "Nothing"!

DM: They are saying something though?
Saying this he smiles at the leader. The leader also looks at him.

LP: It's not important!

DM: Really? What they are saying is not important?
The leader seems to be flummoxed by this pointed question from the deranged man and he seems to ponder on the remarks of the other protestors for a while. Then looking at the deranged man, he continues.

LP: well…err…anyway…what were you asking?

DM: I was asking as to what your friends were saying just now?
LP: Leave that…before that what were you asking?

DM: Oh that! Well, I was asking, is the "Right to life" a theory or what you called a "ground reality"?
LP: Ummm errr..errr…

One of the protestors intervenes, "You must know ground reality"!

LP: Yes…you must know "ground reality"!

DM: That's ok but you haven't answered my question and you are trying to avoid…
Before the deranged man could complete, the leader says, "see, people have been killed…you know extra-judicial killings…you must know…"

Just as the leader was saying this, a protestor interrupts, "call Engel-lei, she is there…her husband was also killed in a fake encounter". And he sends someone to call Engel-lei.

LP: Yes, you must know the "ground reality"…we have amongst us a "victim" of extra-judicial killing, a young girl in her early 20s whose husband was shot dead right in front of her by Manipur Police Commandos"!

DM: Oh..my God! That's terrible!
The deranged man seems to be disturbed by this information of a young widow.

LP: See, you must know "ground reality" to understand AFSPA!

DM: But to the best of my knowledge, Manipur Police and its Commandos are not covered by AFSPA; they do not operate under the AFSPA!

The leader looks at the deranged man and then to his followers who also look at each other, as if the remark of the deranged man seems to have unsettled their "ground reality".