Crimes Galore :: Civilians left to fend for themselves
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 01, 2010 -

With an area of just 22,327 sq. km and a population of a little over two millions, Manipur by any standard is a small state. Keeping in view the large societies existing in different parts of the world, the Manipuri society is undoubtedly a tiny speck, where the population of each of the tribes and communities, with the exception of the Meiteis, inhabiting the state does not even reach a million.

But what’s astonishing is that in such a small state and society, all kinds of egregious crimes, many of which are beyond human imagination, are being committed. Killing of sister-in-law, wife, aunt and old woman, shootting a man or a woman to death while sleeping, murder of young woman after rape and dump the body in the river, to waylay and attack unwary persons, abduction of businessmen or officials for ransom, kidnapping and killing children, extortion and hijacking vehicles in the name of insurgents, and so on – endless crimes are being committed almost daily in the state.

The majority of the crimes committed against women seem to be more vicious in nature, and the criminals seem to find it easier to attack a woman. In most of the crimes where women were the victims, they had not only been assaulted physically but also sexually abused.

It is clear that when a criminal, like a savage beast, attacks a female victim, she, with all her strength and wisdom, can not usually defend herself. This is more true in the case of women from the rural areas. It is because of lack of information and awareness, on the part of the rural woman, on how to defend herself at the most critical point of time when the beast is just about to attack her.

As she had not specially prepared herself for such an eventuality, while trying to cope with the day-to-day problems in life, she ultimately falls victim to the savage. On the other hand, instances galore where love-sick and infatuated teeny boppers drown their senses in the rising tide of passion only to land themselves in trouble and disgrace.

All these make it imperative that women, in order to save themselves from trouble and to save their honour and lives, ought to be always on the alert. For that they need to possess adequate strength and knowledge so that they can face all kinds of dangerous situations. Crimes against women will continue to wreak as long as they remain weak and vulnerable.

Protection of women’s rights, honour and lives can not be ensured by holding a public meeting and a rally once or twice in a year. It takes knowledge and information. That’s why the Government of India has taken up special schemes for women’s education.

In the meanwhile, it is the duty of the law-enforcing agencies to take up preventive measures to thwart crimes against women or men, and if crimes had been committed, to investigate and book the criminals. In the last few years, a number of mysterious incidents of murder had taken place.

Such incidents of murder by unknown persons are taking place quite frequently now-a-days too. While none dares go out at night in fear of the security forces who are hunting for the underground insurgents, some temerarious criminals are also on the prowl in the residential areas looking for their prey or to burgle others’ houses and shops.

There is no patrolling by any law enforcing agency to contain such lurking crimes. There are no watchmen to keep a vigil at the leikais and villages. The Meira Paibis can not remain awake throughout the night either.

Therefore, in these times of turbulence, the people are destined to remain on guard for themselves while the law-enforcing agencies choose to act according to their own convenience.