RPF details maladies resulting from 'merger'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 05 2018:
The proscribed RPF has expressed deep concern over the maladies afflicting Manipuri society in the aftermath of the political and cultural merger of Manipur into India.
A statement issued by the outfit's Publicity Secretary Roben Khuman remarked that violence and crimes including murders, patricides, fratricides, rapes shot up rapidly in the aftermath of the merger.
At the same time, social discrimination and distrust among different communities started taking deep roots while corruption has infected every sphere of life.
Even though fake encounters staged by State Police and paramilitary forces declined considerably following intervention by Courts, many men in the productive age were shot or shot dead by unidentified persons.
According to newspaper reports, 49 men were found dead in 2015.64 men were found dead in 2016 and 21 were found dead in 2017 (till May).
When men are killed, it is the women who suffer the most.
All these suffering and miseries are consequences of repression and denial of human rights by the alien rule, Roben alleged.
Different forms of violence against women which are typical to Indian society are now taking place in Manipuri society.
There have been numerous reports of abandoning/burying and burning dead bodies of women after raping them.
The situation has so degraded that it seems there is no one to protect women.
It usually takes 10 to 20 years for Courts to pass a verdict in rape or murder cases.
Just like in India where sons are always preferred to daughters, Manipur' s sex ratio has been declining over the years.
The merger of Manipur into the Indian Union sowed seeds of distrust and animosity among different communities of the land who have been living together harmoniously since ages.
Even though the indigenous communities have stepped back towards reconciliation, the alleged evil influence of India cannot be exorcised completely, Roben said.
It is a matter of grave concern that the alleged alien rule has succeeded in drawing a sharp line of division between haves and have nots in Manipuri society.
It is this division which paved the way for oppression and subjugation of the poor by the rich.
Any society afflicted by such division will see starvation and homelessness sooner rather than later, warned the publicity secretary.
Meanwhile, corruption has become a way of life for the rich.
Bribery is now a culture and more and more people are willing to compromise their dignity in exchange for some material benefits, he said.
When the whole society has been afflicted by such maladies, people would find it very difficult to distinguish what is wrong and what is right.
People would not be able to see things from the right perspectives.
Under such a grim situation, there would be very few people who can work in the larger interest of the society and the Nation.
Manipuri society is now passing through a very critical phase where the vast majority of people have lost the direction of their lives.
The sorry state of affairs prevailing in Manipur is an outcome of imposition of alien rule.
As such, economic, social and cultural measures would never be enough without political struggles to pull out Manipur from this labyrinth, he said.
All these maladies can never be cured until and unless Manipur is independent, Roben said and appealed to all the people to come forward and join the revolutionary movement being spearheaded by RPF with a conviction that all are duty bound to uproot the alien rule.
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