God Must Be Crazy On Strike And Curfew Festival

G S Oinam *

This is Manipur! Anything can be happen.

O. Ibobi must resign for fake encounter! Next, becoming chief minister after O. Ibobi must be ready to resign for killing 3 NSCN (IM) by the Assam Riffles in Ukhrul District of Manipur. Another becoming C.M must be standing by to resign for human rights violation!

Issue was right but the mode of protest need to be change? From this year onward daily wage earners must store food grains at least 3 months reserved. Those unable to reserved the food items must be ready to pack luggage to leave Manipur for the survival during bandh, strike and curfew festival for three months.

"Strike, curfew and Bandh Festival" in Manipur is generally organized during June to August for every year. Intellectuals in the state are silent spectators and they are enjoying the festival for nothing worth; no balance force was seen. If the tug of war is continues for long then both are joint winners or both sides are wrong!

It is over 15 day's public protest on khwairamband Bazaar incident. Another 15 days may be continue if they likes or one/ two months unless one compromising formula is established. The rights and interest of lakhs daily wage earners, student community, small business units, poor hills people etc are ignored.

It is very easy to keep them silent but it does not mean they can not speak. Economist has nothing to do in the state when all the rules are flouted. Manipur registered the longest Bandh and blockade in the history. Ugly scene of hijacking democratic institution has been established in the state. Even the god must be crazy!

Why people should not give a chance to Shri O. Ibobi Singh for correction and justification? Do you think that replacement of Shri O. Ibobi will solve all the problems of fake encounter in Manipur? Will you ask the next CM after O. Ibobi Singh to resign again?

Or, why don't you choose your leader to be CM of Manipur? Do you think that fake encounter will be end if President Rules was imposed in the state? What will happen to your human rights even you may not get fundamental rights during PRs? Hiss your sound but do not bite! Now, the choice is yours.

Will the Advisors of CM be replaced first?

• JAC demanded Judicial Inquiry; O. Ibobi says magisterial inquiry. His explanation was unsatisfactory to JAC.
• Tehelka exposed fake encounter; government reaction was very slow.
• Judicial inquiry was order by CM only when JAC demanded his resignation.
• He has accepted resignation in a meeting with JAC if he was found guilty by the judicial inquiry report and no one will be spared who found guilty by the judicial inquiry; this sequence of announcement shall be put at first place.

The fact is that about 3000 judges are vacant in India due to untimely filled up by the High Courts/ Supreme Court. Numbers of crime has increases; the law courts are facing backlog cases many fold. Beside, Manipur has no own High Court. Seating Judges at Guwahati High Court, Imphal has limited number.

State has to wait for a seating Judge or engage a retired judge for the inquiry. Therefore, magisterial inquiry may be the first option for the state however; government's way of explanation of magisterial inquiry could not be convinced to JAC.

Second, state government is lack of technical expertise on digital technology. That is why they may not be able react early after Tehelka exposed of fake encounter. No official spokesperson or State Congress Party spokesperson could not react or took active part in the discussion on this issue. Perhaps, lack of knowledge or better off silent! Do not compare our political leaders to national leaders or others.

Third, Government was unaware that this piece of event will be a big issue and it will be promoted in such a manner by many social organizations.

Fourth, Chief Minister Advisors are easy going and unaware of Manipur, India and the world. Government may face again other difficulties unless it was checked.

Major Initiatives by the centre

• Union home minister P. Chidambaram has directed all the state chief ministers to establish Police Establishment Board (PEB) enable to regulate transfer, posting, promotion and appointment of police personals in proper manner. Police Establishment Board will enable to free and fair recruitment of police personals, transfer and posting. PEB will look into the promotion of the police personals. State Chief Minister/ state home minister has nothing to do once the PEB was established in the matter of promotion, transfer and recruitment. Some state has already established PEB and functioning well. This regulation is already implemented at central forces. Therefore, there is no case of irregularities in appointment, transfer, posting and promotion of central police forces.
• Centre is continuously providing fund for police modernization. Report cards should be submitted regularly for 6 months for the utilization of fund.
• More recruitment on state police force to fill up the vacant post has been recommended.
• Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ,Law minister Mr. Veerapa Moily and Chief justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan were unanimous that urgent steps for speedier justice for undertrials. Chief judicial magistrates had been instructed to ascertain the number of undertrials booked for petty offences. If they had served more then half the sentence likely to be awarded for their crime, such undertrials could be immediately released on personal bond. Prime minister termed 3 crore backlog cases in the courts as a 'scourge' and promised that the government would take two steps for each step taken by the judiciary to eliminate "the world largest backlog of cases and timelines."
• Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has suggested immediate fill up of the vacant post of judges looking for meritorious individuals and extension of working hours of the courts and cut court holidays.

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* The author is a journalist based in New Delhi and contributes regularly to e-pao.net. He can be contacted at gitchandraoinam (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) in. This article was webcasted on Ocotber 09th, 2009.

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