Don't Blame Ibobi, Blame Yourselves

Pengba Aruuba Eshingee *

"...Life in Manipur is like a lottery. You are alive because you are lucky."
-- Tehelka, when it broke the BT Road 'fake encounter' of July 23.

The words may have lost meaning to those who live there or to those of us who make it a point to visit the homestate at least once a year. But to an outsider, like that colleague -- who found time to browse the website despite his busy schedule of delivering one liners to traders -- it was an unbelievable statement.

"Are people killed just like pigs in Manipur," he asked, after seeing the series of graphic pictures. Forgive him, swine flu had influenced him a bit.

"Not necessarily like pigs all the time but yes there's never a day without the news of killing on newspapers," he was told.

The conversation was interrupted abruptly with a government policy announcement, which sent some stocks gaining handsomely.

But the thoroughbred Manipuri couldn't switch off immediately. The daily ritual of opening www.e-pao.net in search of latest developments out there at Manipur, led from one thought to another. The more one read, the more one felt like deja vu.

Remember the Manorama killing of 2004? The similarity with Sanjit killing does not only end with the fact that both had alleged links with an underground group, but the events that follow are ditto the same.

Curfew, JAC, sit-in-protests, bandh and general strikes, by now these are in-built in the vocabulary of any newborn Manipuri. And yes, ask any Manipuri kid what is AFSPA? S/he would easily give you an hour's lecture on the subject. Apunba Lup (United Group) which had taken lead at the time of Manorama incident (only to break up when the goal of removing AFSPA was almost achieved) has again come to the fore. As one could see, there's nothing new in its demand, just that the subject five years down the line has changed -- from Manorama's death to Sanjit's.

The call for Chief Minister O Ibobi's head is also not new. Irony is that one person who was a leader of the Lup then is a minister today.

Sorry to say, but the people are also equally to be blamed for what is happening there at Manipur.

To cite an e-pao report which quoted the Apunba Lup, ever since O Ibobi Singh became Chief Minister over 5000 have been killed and more than 10,000 children have been orphaned.

The question that begs to be answered is then, how come this Pol Pot of Manipur has been elected for a second term to office?

The fear is that the lazy researcher's answer might just turn out to be true.

At the time of elections, money can buy votes and Rs 500, or even 50, can cast a spell while going to the polling booth and all past misdeeds forgotten. Agreed, Thoubal has become enviable under Ibobi's rule. The grapevine says there are not many families in his constituency without a governent job. But how about people in other constituencies? Why do they help by electing representatives who would only support in bringing him to power?

Don't blame Ibobi. You, me and all of us are to be blamed for the mess out there. As the old saying goes, as you sow so shall you reap.