Nothing less than terror attack : Selective silence, selective protests
- Sangai Express Editorial :: September 16, 2013 -

Bomb exploded inside a working shed located at Nagamapal on 13 September 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinan

Nine people killed in a bomb blast. Totally unacceptable for it was nothing short of terrorism.

Not the first time and most probably it would not be the last time either. A deafening silence maintained by the public over the ghastly act.

Again not the first time and totally unacceptable, for it reflects a sick mindset.

The agenda is not yet clear though there are numerous speculations doing the round, but ultimately this is of little significance.

The core issue is the manner in which the lives of nine people were cruelly and heartlessly snuffed out.

Another core issue is the complete silence maintained by the public against the act of terror. That too in a land where a bandh, a blockade or a general strike is imposed at the drop of the hat.

Or is their a meaning behind this deafening silence ?

Black September 13 it was, which should be understood apart from the Black September 13 observed by various Kuki organisations.

It was in the evening of September 13, that the powerful bomb went off inside a temporary working shed atop the slabs put up over Naga Nullah.

All the victims were labourers engaged by Simplex Project Limited, Kolkata which has been entrusted with the task of laying the slabs over Naga Nullah and constructing the embankments.

The next day, that is September 14, everything seemed normal, except for the fact that shops downed shutters and vehicles stayed off the roads, due to the bandh called by an organisation to boycott the 42nd foundation day of RIMS.

This is not the first time that the people of Manipur have preferred to maintain a stoic silence against such horrendous acts.

The same scene was witnessed when the venue of Krishna Janmasthami festival at ISKCON was bombed claiming several lives and injuring many others many years back.

Everything seemed normal the next day then too. A sure sign that Manipur has not progressed or moved ahead against such acts which border on terrorism.

With the police ostensibly making not much headway in the case, speculations are rife with conspiracy theories doing the round. Dangerous and undesirable.

This is not the time to shoot in the dark, but yet the feeling that there could be a pattern or a design behind the latest bomb blast is something which cannot be ignored or written off that easily.

The Sangai Express will not venture into the realm of speculation but it will not remain silent in the face of such atrocious acts.

The blast should stand condemned without any rider.

It was nothing less than targeting innocent people, labourers eking out a living and cannot be associated with the political and social turbulence that Manipur is passing through right now.

To the credit of the State Government, it has not wasted much time in announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kins of those killed as well as another Rs 50,000 each for those who received serious injuries.

The sensitivity of the Government is taken note of, but the fact stands that no amount of money can compensate the loss of lives, nine precious human lives in this case.

In as much as the bomb blast is condemnable and unacceptable, the selective silence of the people too is equally if not more abhorrent.

Selective protests and selective silence can only encourage elements to whom there is no difference between the innocent people and those against whom they are pitted.

This is the bottomline.