Distressful start to the New Year
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 03, 2024 -

If what happened on the first day of the New Year is of any indication about what the future holds for us in the days to come, then one could rest assured that the year 2024 is not going to be any better or different from the year, 2023 that had just slipped away into oblivion.

While the celebration of ringing in the advent of 2024 was overshadowed by unsettling occurrences that unfolded across the globe like the deadly airstrikes in Gaza and Ukraine and the catastrophic 7.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan and triggered tsunami alerts; the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, which has been roiled by one of the worst ethnic conflicts that broke out between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities since May 3 last year, resulting in more than 180 deaths and leaving nearly 60,000 people homeless, saw no respite from violence with at least four people shot dead in fresh violence that erupted on New Year's Day, forcing the district magistrates to re-impose total curfew in five valley districts of the strife-torn state, namely, Thoubal, Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching and Bishnupur.

Coming at a time when there have been daily reports of gunfight between the armed Kuki-Chin militants and police commandos deployed in the restive border town Moreh in the past few days, the latest violent incident which took place on the first day of 2024 at Lilong Chingjao in Thoubal district, when a group of armed men in camouflage, who came to talk with a local man regarding certain issues, allegedly opened fire, following a fight with the local people, who resisted.

After the gun attack that left at least four people dead and several injured, the enraged locals also set on fire the vehicles in which the armed men had come.

Apart from bits of information that were shared here and there on social media, what actually led to opening of indiscriminate firing by the armed intruders at everyone while leaving behind the vehicles in which they came are yet to be known and none could say with any amount of certainty.

But the fact that leaders of civil society organisations, elected public representatives and Chief Minister N Biren Singh himself had to come out with video messages late at night, condemning the violence and appealing to the people to maintain peace, shows the seriousness of the incident that could have dragged the state to another crisis.

In his video message, the Chief Minister had said, "I express my immense sadness over the killing of innocent people. We have mobilised police teams to catch the culprits. With folded hands I appeal to the residents of Lilong (where the incident happened) to help the government in finding the culprits. I promise that the government will do everything in its power to give justice under the law".

Only time will tell, whether the state government would be able to find out the identity of the armed intruders and do everything in its power to ensure justice, as assured by the Chief Minister; but one thing that everyone in Manipur should be cocksure of at the moment is that nothing travels faster than bad news, and so everyone should be wary of not only the people who are uploading disturbing posts on social media but also of those circulating the same disturbing posts without any verification.

Today, Manipur is like a tinderbox and it could go up in flame anytime if one is not careful enough of what he or she posts on social media even if it was done with good intentions.