By Madhu Chandra,
Stories of menace in India’s northeastern state Manipur continues. Brutal killing of Manipur Civil Servant Dr. Kishan, Prof Islamuddin and social worker Krishnadas, the fire is still not quenched. One more flame. Oh God, this time, shocking incident of fake encounter – cold blooded killings by state security forces in princely state of Manipur.
Killing of Manipuri by non-Manipuri Indian security forces used to be allegation until recent time. It is not true anymore! Public suffering at the hands of militants still continues, but, surprising is the fact of unreported ongoing cold blooded killings by state security forces.
Indian soldier in Manipur[Photo by Akshay Mahajan]
Manipur burns again on a fake encounter on July 23 when a man and a pregnant woman were killed just a kilometre away from state Assembly House in day light. India’s Central Government has habit of hearing after the state burns; this is at least true whenever such incident happened in Manipur.
Thanks to the Tehelka magazine that not only exposed the pictures of cold blood killing of July 23 which contradicts the police version of the killing at the encounter but also provoked a national debate.
Mr. O. Ibobi Singh, honorable Chief Minister of Manipur, is very experienced politician; he actually knows how to keep his ears, eyes and mouth shut whenever mayhem takes place in kingdom. His most esteemed experience in handling the mayhem like the current one allows another crime or case take over and buries the older underneath.
Honest question, every citizen of Manipur needs to ask, is about who actually kills who in Manipur? Do not be surprised by the fact that the victimization of killing culture is not prevalent in all communities in Manpur. It is killing between Meiteis. Be it by state security forces or militants, it is killing of Meiteis by their own people.
The beauties of Manipur once known twenty five years ago, have taken away by state forces of Arm Special Forces Power Act of 1958 and mushrooming non-state forces of militants.
No one born after 1980s will ever know that the princely state Manipur was known for its beauty and social fabric among its different communities, but the image of the state has totally changed. Who should be held responsible for the hell like situation in Manipur? If no concrete steps are taken on time, the state will face more bloodshed in days to come.
The state and its people have suffered enough. Hundreds of lives of people are affected by the communal clashes among the tribes. The lives of people are agonized by the diktats of militants, extortion, killing, threatening, now by men in uniforms. No doubt, this is not going to end soon.
The violation of human rights of civil society in the state of Manipur has reached sky high, yet not known to the nationa and the world.
State government’s plan to suppress the militant groups by recruiting extra security forces with the provision of existing 50 years old draconian law of Armed Forces Power Act, has added more burn to already wounded lives. People want to live in peace as they are fed up of killing culture.
For age old crisis of the state, is state Government and state security forces really honest in their drive to suppress militancy of state? The very signpost of state forces propaganda is very doubtful to do anything better to change the situation of the state.
Inability is the position of Ibobi Government in Manipur to tackle the situation of the state. The later an alternative measurement is taken up, the harder the situation of the state will be to correct.