NHRC's notices and Human Rights Day ?
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: December 11, 2023 -

Along with taking suo motu cognisance of a media report on the December 4 incident in which 13 Meetei youths were killed in an alleged gun-fight that took place at Leithao village in Tengnoupal district of the strife-torn Manipur state, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued notices to the government of Manipur and its police chief for submitting a detailed report within two weeks.

The rights panel has noted with concern that the "alarming and disturbing" incident indicated a "lapse" on the part of the law enforcing agencies and the forces deployed to ensure peace and law and order in the state considering the fact that this was the highest single-day loss of 13 lives that ironically took place in an area, which had remained by and large peaceful since the ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities on May 3 last.

According to the media report based on which NHRC has registered a suo moto case, Leithao village has only nine houses and around 120 residents but no casualties were reported from among the villagers in the alleged gun-fight.

Observing that if the contents of the media report were true, then it amounts to a serious issue of human rights violations and is a matter of concern, NHRC has made it clear that the detailed report being sought from the government of Manipur and its police chief should include the status of the FIR registered by the police and steps taken by the state government to ensure that such incidents of violence do not take place anywhere in the state.

The rights panel has also taken cognisance of the fact "The state of Manipur and its people have already suffered a lot" and it is the duty of the state administration to protect the life and properties of its citizens, both private and public, and to promote fraternity and spirit of brotherliness amongst the communities.

This is not the first time that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken the government of Manipur to task for its "lapse" in ensuring no further violence takes place in the strife-torn northeastern state.

Prior to the Leithao village incident, the Commission had registered as many as 18 cases from among several complaints it received from individuals, NGOs and activists alleging violation of human rights during the course of the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur.

However, the action taken reports sought from the government of Manipur in connection with these cases were said to be "awaited."

So, it may not be hard for anyone to tell whether the latest notices issued to the government of Manipur and its police chief for submitting a detailed report on the Leithao village incident within two weeks will meet the same fate or not.

But what is significant in the instant case is that the notices of NHCR have come on the eve of observing Human Rights Day-2023, which falls on December 10.

The observance of Human Rights Day this time under "Freedom, Equality and Justice for All", which is going to mark not only the 75th anniversary of signing of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) on this day in 1948 but also coincide with the 30th anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights which took place in Vienna in 1993 and paved the way for creation of the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is an important milestone that should not be side-stepped by any elected government with strong commitment to protecting the human rights of citizens "irrespective of caste, gender, colour, creed, language, political belief or any other status."

Therefore, if the Government of Manipur failed to comply with the notices issued by NHRC, yet again, then it is only going to send out a wrong message to an ignorant world which is becoming increasingly polarised on the current conflict between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin in Manipur and its true origin.