None killed, seven hurt : Murderous intention
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 28 2011 -

The staircase leading to the IOB - Pix :: TSE

Fortunately no one was killed but this does not make the intention less diabolical. Seven people were injured in the two bomb blasts that went off one after the other in the heart of Imphal city on Diwali night and the intention of the people behind the blasts does not need any elaboration. Cause as much damage as possible and kill as many as possible.

There can be no other explanation for triggering two bomb blasts within minutes of each other in the heart of Imphal, more so when the place is teeming with people out to celebrate the festival of light.

Only a demented mind could have conceptualised and executed such an attack and in the madness that one usually associates with such acts, the pattern in such acts of madness is unmistakable.

The mind may be demented, it may be sheer madness, but there is nothing insane in the manner in which the plot was so minutely worked out. Timer device is what the police suspect and this is in a way an indication that the bomb plot could not have been hatched by some rag tag army of desperadoes.

The intent to kill and maim is clear and looking for the motive should not be the primary concern of the people at all and we say this with a reason.

For too long, plain murder, plain acts of terrorism, intimidations, lobbing a bomb or two at an intended target, planting a bomb, dictating terms on how the people should live and dress etc have all been allowed to gain a degree of legitimacy after the motive was spelt out by the group/s concerned.

That is why groups which master minded plain acts of terrorism such as the Ragailong blast that tore the limbs and bodies of 18 persons to shreds continued to come out with highly sounding patriotic terms as if they represent the people's aspirations.

Cook up a motive, spell it out and then garnish it with a good dose of patriotism which may take the line of 'in the interest of the land and people' and then go and kill with impunity has become the standard procedure for quite a number of plain killers masquerading as sons of the soil. Such a trend not only muddies the situation but also provides the perfect ground for some fly by night operators to put their agenda into action.

This is where the confusing task of identifying the 'genuine' from the 'fakes' falls on the shoulder of the common people and the trickle down effect of such a responsibility can be seen in the people who have been brow beaten into quiet submission.

The vicious cycle then comes into play. A people brow beaten into quiet submission only goes on to provide a fertile ground for such elements to multiply giving them more teeth to make their presence felt which may come in the form of some bombs being set off, specific targets being gunned down, kidnapping for ransom, rise in the number of demand letters put into circulation etc.

This same mindset becomes all that more pronounced in the meek response of the people to such blatant acts of terrorism and this in turn helps in turning the basic understanding and concept of an insurrection on its head and reducing it to some sort of a money spinning endeavour.

Terrorism thrives in an environment of fear and intimidation and this becomes all that more pronounced when the response of the people to any acts of violence increasingly becomes selective.

Maintain a deafening silence when the perpetrators of such mayhem are thought to be one of those masquerading as sons of the soil and let off steam and paralyse the State for days when such mayhem are thought to have been triggered off by some elements who may not strike back.

This not only encourages the terror elements but also erodes the credibility of society as a whole. Unfortunately this is where Manipur finds itself in today. The past indicates this without any doubt.

So seven people were injured and as things stand, not a whimper of protest has come out from the public as such.

Is it because of the festive mood lulling the people into some sense of false comfort ?

Or does it say something more sinister and uglier ?

The people of Manipur cannot afford to have different yardsticks to measure acts of terrorism or else such bomb blasts as the ones as Thangal bazar on October 26 will continue to tell the story of Manipur.