Verdict On Malom: Moral victory against AFSPA
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 09, 2014 -

It was around 3.30 pm, November 2 fourteen years ago, that a powerful bomb went off and led to injury of some security persons who were coming in convoys along Imphal-Tiddim Road.

The remaining irate jawans in the convoys jumped down from their vehicles and opened fire in all directions.

Ten persons, including a woman Laishangbam ongbi Sana Devi along with her two nephews 18-year old Sinam Bocha and 25-year old Sinam Robin, in the nearby bus stand lost their lives instantly.

Bocha was the winner of National Bravery Award. In fact, Bocha and Robin were accompanying their aunty who had visited their house at the bus stand.

Out of the 10 victims, two were 52-year old Oinam Sanatomba and 35-year old Kangujam Ngouba, both employees of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Manipur.

When they were returning from office, security persons stopped the duo at the cordoned off area and shot dead. 34-year old farmer Amakcham Raghumani; three students Tokpam Santikumar (18), Soibam Prakash (15), Ksh Inaocha (20); 55-year old Gurumayum Bapu Sharma, an employee of State Revenue Department also met the same fate in the open firing, which the Assam Rifles claimed to be a retaliation against the armed attack by insurgents.

Now after 14 years of the infamous incident of Malom Massacre, justice finally comes to the families of the 10 victims who lost their lives in the hands of security persons on that historic day.

In the past few months, the High Court of Manipur has begun to make revelations on a number of controversial and pending ‘Fake Encounter’ dramas perpetrated by security persons in the name of counter-insurgency.

As of now, everything has become open that “security persons kill civilians” in “fake cross firings”.

Even though the monetary compensation provided to the victim families can never recoup the loss of innocent human lives, it is indeed a moral victory against the bête noire, Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.

The dead is always the loser.

Claims and counter claims on a number of civilian deaths in the hands of security persons have been regular feature in Manipur during the past four/five decades.

Under the controversial and atrocious Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958, numerous youths of the state either disappeared or were killed after arrests by security persons, a handful of arrested persons never returned home, and a number of women were sexually assaulted before being murdered.

In the name of counter insurgency, the armed persons have taken the role of military junta, doing anything and everything on the civilians without sparing anything for their human rights and values.

However, even after numerous Court verdicts on fake encounters, endless hue and cry from the citizens, 14 years of fast-unto-death resorted by Irom Sharmila and even the sincere negative views of retired security officers and politicians, AFSPA still has room to exist in Manipur.

Politics, after all, has to decide the fate of the thousands of citizens who may anytime lose their valued lives in the intended bullets of the uniformed and armed persons.