Are Meiteis Guinea Pigs In The Laboratory Of Criminals?

Ningombam Bupenda Meitei *

Meitei Couple - Ethnic Doll at Mutua Museum's Cultural Heritage Complex :: 2008

Meitei Students' Union (MSU) formed at Delhi, says today's E-Pao (Please see here ). The birth of such union is a big message to the entire Meiteis of the world. But, when NSUI, ABVP, AISA, SFI and other students' union of Manipur and India fail or have no interest to protest against the criminals hijacking Manipur's highways and national projects through their economic blockade of Manipur now, Meitei Students' Union, coincidentally, seems to have come out for Meiteis in particular, but can Meitei Students' Union speak out for Meiteis in Delhi?

Many questions could be raised with regard to the ongoing economic blockade by the criminals in Manipur.

Q.1) Why should not Irom Sharmila, the Iron Lady of Manipur speak out for the common people of Manipur valley as they are tortured under the criminals' economic blockade now? Is she not also the Iron Lady of the common people of Manipur valley?

Q.2) Why should not those who shout for ILP ( Inner Line Permit) of Manipur and anti-AFSPA slogan for the common people of Manipur, also shout now for the same common people of Manipur who are hijacked by the criminals' economic blockade in Manipur ?

The entire existing organisations and unions based in Manipur and on Manipur, not only in Manipur and India but also around the world, seem to be completely biased and hypocritical in nature as they deliberately serve nothing for the common innocent and helpless people of Manipur valley who are now under the criminals' economic blockade because of the following reasons.

The people of Manipur don't demand to their respective MLAs 'Don't declare Manipur as Disturbed Areas', instead MLAs, who have no authority over Parliament, promise them to repeal AFSPA ( which comes after the approval of Manipur as Disturbed Areas by Manipur Assembly ) if they get elected as MLA, and the people further ask the MLAs to execute their old promise - repeal AFSPA - but AFSPA can only be repealed in Parliament and not in any state assembly, as the item related to it is in Union List and not in State List.

The people of Manipur instead of demanding the illegal misuse of AFSPA to be booked, persecuted and punished as per the law of the country, demand for repeal of such act, but the repeal, unless repeal by the Parliament, of such act is not possible as the repealing of the act will make the Indian Army and armed forces a toothless tiger. AFSPA exists in Manipur because Manipur Assembly adopts Manipur as 'Disturbed Areas' and thereby Manipur Cabinet approves and recommends to the Union Government of India for the need of central assistance in terms of maintaining law and order in the state, and hence, the armed forces' help comes but the armed forces are bound to have AFSPA with them to enable them to work in such partially failed state of Manipur. Instead of demanding Manipur Assembly not to declare Manipur as 'Disturbed Areas' every year, merely demanding for the repeal of the Act to the local MLAs, including Chief Minister of the state who is also an MLA, is completely constitutionally meaningless.

Meiteis keep quiet in demanding ST ( Scheduled Tribe) category for Meitei, the demand which is the only constitutional and legal solution and way to bring ILP in Manipur, but knowingly or unknowingly, Meiteis, without ST category, want ILP in non-tribal areas of Manipur on non-tribal people called Meiteis.

In a sense, Meiteis make a non-issue an issue while they maintain a stoic silence towards the real basic issue for survival right now - the criminals hijacking national and state highways as well national projects of Manipur.

With regard to the ongoing economic blockade blocking highways and national projects by the criminals, the following questions further could also be raised.

Q.3) Why should not those NGOs, human rights organisations both in India and abroad, and international organisations of the world like Amnesty International, which have voiced the concerns of Manipur in the past, also raise their voice now against the criminals' economic blockade that cause torture and sufferings to the common people of Manipur valley ?

Q.4) Do not the common innocent people of Manipur valley have any human right in today's modern civilized world to live and exist with dignity and meaningful daily life with essential human need of goods and services ? Are not they also human beings who need food and services in economy, health and education in particular? Or, Are the common innocent people of Manipur valley guinea pigs in the laboratory of those anti-national, anti-constitutional and anti-humane criminals?

In the history of modern independent India, the Meiteis and people of Manipur valley were subjugated to the anti-national and anti-constitutional criminals' act of economic blockade for the continuous 100 days of torture and artificial price rise of essential items in the recent past in Manipur.

As far as the formation of Meitei Students' Union in Delhi is concerned, the majority of the common Meitei students both in Delhi and Imphal valley will like to know whether there would be an election or not to elect/appoint the office bearers of the union, or whether, the office bearers have already been selected/appointed/nominated/elected/approved or not.

Meitei students in Delhi mostly come from Manipur valley which is now put under economic blockade by the criminals blocking national and state highways as well as all the national projects work.

Q.5) Why should not Meitei Students' Union go and protest in front of the residences of Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Defence Minister of India for their failure in arresting those criminals and also for the failure of Assam Rifles and Indian Army in AFSPA covered Manipur in ensuring the smooth passage of mobility of goods and people through highways as well as making the national projects work to go on without being stopped by those criminals?

Q.6) Why should not Meitei Students' Union meet Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Defence Minister of India to raise the concerns of the Meiteis in Manipur valley now? This question is slightly less meaningful as the state of Manipur's Chief Minister and Home Minister besides the outgoing Governor had already met with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. And, I presume that the news of criminals hijacking of Manipur's highways and national projects, had already reached to both the ears of Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India, if not from the media but at least from the Union Home Minister himself.

Q.7) Why should not Meitei Students' Union file a PIL in Hon'ble Supreme Court of India against the Government of India and Government of Manipur for their failure to arrest the criminals blocking highways and national projects?

Q.8) Why should not Meitei Students' Union raise its voice instead of keeping itself quiet behind the phrase of being students meant for academics only, when any students' union in the world has played a significant role in every sphere of life including politics?

Q.9) Why should not Meitei Students' Union be democratic and political also when the union has used the word 'Union' and not 'forum' or 'academic forum' or 'association' or 'society' but 'Union' only?

Q.10) Why should not Meitei Students' Union shy away from peaceful democratic protests for Meitei's existence with dignity?

Q.11) Why should not Meitei Students' Union in Delhi meet Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister of India to ensure those criminals being booked and also raise that AFSPA being used effectively in curbing those criminals' open illegal activities in the areas of Manipur which are under the Act?

Q.12) Why should not Meitei Students' Union demand to Union Petroleum Minister and Agriculture Minister, and Chief Minister and Home Minister of Manipur for ensuring that there should not be any artificial price rise, by taking advantage of such criminal economic blockade, of essential goods in Manipur valley?

Q.13) Why should not Meitei Students' Union call those who are illegally and anti-constitutionally blocking national and state highways as well as the ongoing work of national projects, as criminals who are anti-national and anti-constitutional?

Q.14) Why should not Meitei Students' Union raise its voice when Manipur valley is subjected to artificial price rise and man made torture by those criminals?

Q.15) Why should not Meitei Students' Union take an initiative for the better Manipur valley for Meiteis to exist with dignity?

Q.16) Why should not Meitei Students' Union show a responsible cooperation for those dying Meiteis in Manipur valley?

Q.17) Why should not Meitei Students' Union speak for those Meiteis who are settled in the hilly areas and hill districts of Manipur from time immemorial?

Q.18) Why should not the common students of Meitei community not feel that Meitei Students' Union has become a party to the crime perpetrated by those criminals blocking highways and stopping work of national projects in Manipur, if Meitei Students' Union maintains stoic silence to the ill treatment of Meiteis and many other common people settling in Manipur valley by those criminals who are also anti-national and anti-constitutional?

Q.19) How long will Meitei Students' Union wait to raise its voice also for the common helpless Meitei people in Manipur valley now? Will Meitei Students' Union ever raise its voice for them or not? If not, then, why should it use the word 'Meitei'?

Q.20) How long will Meiteis suffer in the hands of the criminals in today's world of 21st century?

I pray that Meitei Students’ Union shall become the torch bearer in its humane service towards the making of honoured and dignified Meitei’s existence on this planet. May the Meiteis live in peace with love, respect, dignity and meaningful daily life wherever they are including Imphal valley as long as the human life in the solar system exists.