Setting off a chain reaction : Eroding faith in Govt machinery
- Sangai Express Editorial :: August 20, 2013 -

Chain reaction it is. Triggered by many factors.

One obviously is the stand that the people are fed of up mindless killings or cold blooded and premeditated murders.

The others include, erosion of confidence in the State machinery that justice would be delivered which in turn has nurtured the mob mentality and which has manifested itself in many ugly ways in the past.

The conceived notion that if the State machinery or its agencies cannot deliver justice, then the people have every right to launch their own course of action under the belief that they are in a sense dispensing justice.

A vigilant people or a people driven by sentiments, blocking off all logical reasonings or train of thoughts ?

All these and others taken together is writ large in the decision of the people to block the Imphal-Moreh route along Singjamei on NH-2, in protest against the daylight murder of a van driver on August 18.

To be sure, it is the angst of the people coming to the fore, but blocking a route as important as NH-2 in the heart of Imphal, may not exactly come under the understanding of demanding justice.

Or is it a fall out of earlier cases, when the Government and its agencies just refused to act without pressure being piled up by the public ?

The answer comes uncomfortably close to a YES.

A trend that has been in vogue for some years now and which is picking up at a fast pace, too fast for comfort.

This trend was in full public display when the protests spilled out on the streets of Imphal during Momoko’s assault and molestation case in December last year.

Not exactly a replay, but then again this trend erupted in all its ferocity when mobs gathered in no time and went on the rampage and set on fire the houses of the accused in the murder case of Satyabhama some time back.

Mob justice cannot get more disturbing than this. Far removed from responding to a situation or airing one’s angst against something as diabolical as day light murder.

The character of a people is best tested at crucial and critical times and while the people of Manipur have unfailingly responded to critical times with maturity, such as during the marathonesque bandhs and blockades on the National Highways many times, it is also equally true that there have been instances galore, when the mob took over and in the process the real issue got sidelined.

The Momoko case is a standing testimony to this.

On the other hand, it remains to be seen how the State machinery will respond to the situation.

Cracking a murder case is no child’s play, everyone knows this, especially in a place like Manipur, where there are so many entities ready to kill and justify it too, with just a statement released through the media.

This however should not be the alibi for the Government agencies to drag its feet over the latest murder case.

That things could take a turn for the worse was writ large the moment people started coming out on the roads and started blocking vehicular movement, after the identity of the deceased was confirmed on August 18 itself.

That the Government and its agencies failed to read the fine lines is there to be seen in which the crucial stretch along the Imphal-Moreh route has been blocked with such ferocity.

Damage control exercise may not always be seen as half baked measures. It is a necessary component of running the affairs of the State.

Something along this line should have been initiated on August 18 itself.

Unfortunately the Government slept over this, maybe under the impression that the angst of the people will evaporate after a good night’s sleep.

Failure on all sides, is what can be seen.

Failure on the part of the public that blocking roads cannot be equated with dispensing justice and failure on the part of the Government to understand the sentiments of the people.

A formula to set off a series of chain reactions, which may take ugly turns.