Absurd One Village, One Denomination decree : One Religion, One State acceptable ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 19 2017 -

One Village, One Denomination decree. This is a dangerous precedent and if not checked on time and dealt with firmly and resolutely it can give rise to more unwanted developments.

It goes against the Constitution of the country and it goes against Christianity.

It also goes against humanity. This is a point which should not be lost on the civil society organisations of Ukhrul and Kamjong districts.

This observation is necessitated in the face of the fact that numerous civil society organisations of Ukhrul christened, Tangkhul Longnao, had served a two day ultimatum to the family members of the late Rita Haorei to bury her body within two days.

This ultimatum was served on August 13, after news of the village authority of Leingangching refusing permission to bury her body at her native village hit the headlines of the State newspapers.

Interestingly the ultimatum of the Tangkhul Longnao did not to say where she was to be buried, keeping mum on the real reason why her body continues to lie in state.

Even today, that is after more than 10 days of her death on August 7, her body is still lying at the Sacred Parish at Hungpung.

If one were to go by what the Village Authority of Leingangching has had to say then what happens if someone comes up with the weird idea of coining the slogan, One Country, One Religion, or on a smaller scale, One State, One Religion ?

Will the VA of Leingangching agree to such a stand ?

Fortunately not all are like the VA of Leingangching and hence India and Manipur are safe from such a proposition.

The hypothetical question has been raised to drill some sense into the heads of the people who call the shots at Leingangching.

It is not a law for the VA of Leingangching is not a law making body, but the decree, One Village, One Denomination sounds like a slogan borrowed from some of the fundamentalist forces at work in different parts of the world.

Even in some countries, which are identified with one particular religion, there is no such story or report of someone being denied the permission to get one’s last rites performed just because the deceased belonged to a different faith.

What can the State Government do at the moment ?

This is where the political acumen of the BJP led Government is called for.

It is also surprising to see the many vocal organisations of Ukhrul maintaining such a low profile.

At the immediate level it may be seen as a stand off between a family and the VA of a village but in reality it is about the rights of an individual.

Ideally all the civil society organisations of Manipur should join hands and exert the needed pressure on the VA of Leingangching to let them know that they cannot stop a native of the village from being given the final resting place just because she belonged to a different denomination.

This type of intolerance should not be tolerated.

Interestingly how did the VA come under the impression that they can whip out such a a decree as One Village, One Denomination ?

Let all Christians join hands to condemn this stand.