Catch The Ball, Don't Throw It

Seram Neken *

Mass Rally demanding of Repeal AFSPA and Save Irom Sharmila at Porompat in August 2014 :: Pix - Shanker Khangembam

If the AFSPA is repealed and ILP implemented, what will adorn your next election Manifesto?

Elections come and go. Promises aired through loudspeakers vanish in oblivion. Pre-poll manifestoes close chapters as soon as the poll results are out, while its pages apparently dumped in dust-bins. Pre-poll days are for the people, and post-poll regime is for the so-called 'Generals' who have been elected during 'General Elections'.

'If the AFSPA is repealed and ILP implemented, what will adorn your election Manifesto', it is a pertinent question that surely strikes the minds of Manipuri voters. The fact is that repeal of AFSPA from Manipur soil and implementation of Inner Line Permit system in Manipur have been occupying the pages of election manifestoes of almost all political parties.

Manipur has been infested with a number of issues, the most burning of which are the demands for implementation of Inner Line Permit System and removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state. In fact, the agitations concerning these issues have almost been saturated with legendary lady hunger striker Irom Chanu Sharmila completing one and half decades of fasting. On the other hand, the so-called 'Foreigners Issue' has been flourishing for over three decades. During the movements for having a restrictive regime on onslaught of outsiders into the state, a number of protesters fell victim of police charges, either jailed or wounded.

Even though the state governments at various times acknowledged the rationality of the public demand for individual human rights and for indigenous rights of the people, the issues could not be fixed on time. Subsequent governments left them unresolved on a variety of grounds, mostly political in nature.

It is universally obvious that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. 1958 is draconian in both letter and spirit. A number of innocent individuals in the state had fallen victim of the dreadful act, which has been in force in Manipur since 1980.

Numerous cases of human rights violations only because of the presence of AFSPA have happened in this land in the name of counter insurgency. Excessive misuse of power by the security forces resulted to deaths of civilians, disappearance of arrestees, invalidation of women's chastity etc. during the last 35 years of its enforcement.

The terrorism perpetrated by the security forces under the provisions of the AFSPA has no match with the growing concern for human rights, liberalization, individualism and globalization around the world. It is in fact a time-tested statute which permits the protectors to sabotage their protectees. AFSPA, which has no room in the 21st century human society, is considered irremovable from Manipur state by the successive governments of the biggest democracy in the world.

In spite of realizing the grave injustice done to the people under the AFSPA, the previous Indian governments strongly fastened their stand in favour of the Act. Likewise, the people's representatives in the state also have been too weak to reveal the reality of the draconian Act to their political bosses in at the Centre.

Nowadays, the Manipur government has got enough experience to deal with grave issues and agitations. 'One issue over the other' and one group over another' have been the most fruitful maneuvering of our political leaders.

Is the state government committed to bring in a statute to check the uninterrupted infiltration of non-locals into Manipur ? If so, why there have been delaying tactics among the political circles ? It is well known that the legislators (State Assembly) had so far taken resolutions in favour of the ILP system two times earlier. The same state government had earlier pursued the matter to the UPA government, which responded with an easy tag 'Think of the Nation'.

Now with the growing public pressure on the issue, the state government was compelled to constitute a political parties committee to deal with the ILP issue. Meeting after meeting, press conference after press conference, the committee has bought enough time to address the issue. It has also expressed the condition to discuss with experts and intellectuals for a workable formula. Considering the prolonged negligence of subsequent governments, and burgeoning uninterrupted influx of outsiders into Manipur, the matter deserves urgent handling.

If the political parties committee wishes to find out a possible framework, it can well garner legal advice either from the Law Department of the state government or from the Advocate General of the state. It is quite irrational to take a long time by throwing the ball towards the civil society organizations. Even the talks with the civil organizations on the issue are needless, as the government has already acknowledged the pros and cons of the so called ILP issue. It is as if the government is playing 'Throw-ball' at this crucial juncture.

It is also amazing at this juncture that the BJP Manipur Unit appears to be inactive towards the activities of the political parties committee. The party, which has a big say in the present political scenario, did not reportedly turn up during the meeting held on the issue at Chief Ministers Secretariat. Public opinion demands that the BJP Manipur takes a greater role in handling state issues particularly the implementation of ILP system and repeal of the AFSPA. It is time for the state BJP to catch the ball and act as guardian of the state by dwelling on burning state issues. It is time to reap the fruits.