For a peaceful R-Day
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 28, 2014 -

The celebration of Republic Day on January 26 every year in India has great significance, undoubtedly.

After remaining under the British colonial rule for nearly 200 years, India attained its independence on August 15, 1947 and it becomes a Republic along with adoption of its own Constitution on January 26, 1950.

The birth of a new Sovereign, Democratic and Republican Nation was heralded along with unfurling of the National tri-colour flag by the first President of free India Dr Rajendra Prasad on January 26, 1950.

Since then, every year, January 26 is being celebrated all over the country as Republic Day along with unfurling of the National flag and witnessing vibrant march past parades, display of country's military might and showcase of rich cultural heritage, etc, with great show and fanfare.

This year's Republic Day celebration has just concluded marking the 65th year of India being a republican Nation. But for long, the celebration of Republic Day of India has an altogether different meaning for the people living in the North-eastern part of the country including Manipur where boycott call and imposition of general strike or total shut down by various underground organisations fighting for self-determination being the common feature rather than an exception, year after year. Instead of people thronging to participate in the celebration, empty roads and market places are what one could predictably look forward to on January 26 every year.

On the other hand, to thwart any attempt to disrupt the Republic Day celebration, the State administration never fails to put in place elaborate security arrangements and traffic regulations days ahead of the D-day.

However, whether such elaborate security or traffic arrangements have actually help in ensuring a smooth and successful celebration of the Republic Day has always remained a recurring question that haunts the mind of the people every year.

While the regulation of traffic movement along the roads of an already congested city days ahead of the Republic Day celebration caused a lot of inconveniences to the people, the tight security measures taken up by the State administration with security personnel deployed and posted at every nook and corner of the State to step up frisking and search operation has been no guarantee for the safety and security of the people.

This has been amply demonstrated time and again when those who are calling the boycott of the Republic Day celebration could easily sneak and trigger bomb blasts even within the high security zone area where the official residential bungalow of the Chief Minister and the Headquarters of the Police Department are located in cluster.

So, what is the point of all these elaborate security arrangements and traffic regulations?

Are to harass the public?

The State administration, more particularly, the Home Minister should try to give an answer to this.

By the way, as in the case of other States where the Republic Day is celebrated at some designated areas, perhaps, it is time for the State administration to do a serious rethinking from causing undue harassment to the people by besieging the congested Imphal city and its roads for days in the name of celebrating Republic Day 'smoothly and successfully'.

In fact, that would save the face of the State police personnel in many ways.