Heirok AC: Shooting to kill : Abhorrent, unacceptable
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 24, 2021 -

A young man shot dead. Father critically injured and battling for life at a private medical hospital. Chilling, abhorrent and totally unacceptable.

All intending candidates, their lackeys and now obviously their gunmen should not forget that electoral politics exists because democracy and free choice exist.

This is the beauty of democracy and adult franchise.

View this universal truth of an observation against the backdrop of what happened at Heirok at about 1 am of December 23 and herein lies the tale of a murder that could have been executed only after minute planning for the gun could not have been fired in the heat of the moment.

1 am is the time when the whole world is sleeping but to some of the over zealous lackeys and hired gunmen of some political bosses, who have come to don the role of the mafiosi, this is the time to execute their 'clinically planned' shooting exercise meant to kill and not merely to frighten.

As reported in the media, a physical confrontation between workers or supporters of two rival intending candidates preceded the 'shoot to kill' incident and herein lies the tale of the simmering situation at Heirok Assembly Constituency.

This was not the first time that violence had broken out at the said Assembly Constituency amid the hectic preparations underway ahead of the coming Assembly election and apart from questioning the preparedness of the law enforcing agencies in ensuring that no one takes the law into his or her hands, this is also the time to question the conscience of all the lackeys and 'gunmen' of all intending candidates whether their act of bravado will benefit them in any way.

Let it dawn on the consciousness of everybody that it makes absolutely no sense at all for supporters of rival candidates or rival political parties to pull out their guns or indulge in violence for such acts of violence cannot be the yardstick to measure the loyalty of anyone to any candidate or a party.

Candidates will come and go. Elections will be held as per the schedule.

The elected will then become some sort of a VIP while the defeated will continue to pursue a political career, cosying up to the powers that be for the next election.

This is the truism and everyone seems to know this and so why stick one's neck out even to the extent of committing a murder and violence ? People need to come to their senses.

Those who condone or even encourage violence to settle a point or two will be the last person to stand up for the lackeys who pulled the trigger of the gun on behalf of the candidate they purport to support.

It has become more and more clear that what Manipur needs today are principled politicians, people who are there in the electoral ring to do something for the people and not author the murder of anyone or violence and mayhem.

At the moment, it is the dead, the deceased person for whom tears will be shed, but when the long arm of the law catches up, there will be unshed tears too for the brainless lackeys who did not think twice before pulling the trigger of the gun to kill someone.

Showing loyalty through the muzzle of the gun does not come anywhere near the understanding of loyalty and to be sure those who easily open fire to kill will find no takers in the long run, not even the people for whom the gun was purportedly fired.

This is the truth.