Not another Dr Kishan case, please
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 23, 2012 -

Police trying to pacify bandh supporters at Lamlong :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

Although the public response to the 60-hour Manipur bandh call given by the JAC formed in connection with abduction of contractor Irungbam Irabanta is lukewarm, it does not in any way undermine the seriousness of the issue.

A resident of Nongdam Maning Leikai under Imphal East district, Irabanta, who is engaged in the contract work of supplying sand and stone chips for construction of Maphou Dam, was reported to have been abducted by NSCN (IM).

He left home for Ukhrul along one MK Winner (33), who is alleged to have close link with NSCN (IM), in a Maruti Gypsy in the morning of May 27 last. Since then, whereabouts of Irabanta has not been known although his wife had lodged a complaint with the police on June 8.

The issue over the abduction of Irabanta had also been discussed in the State Assembly on July 11 during which Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh reassured that a special police team led by an SP has been pressed into service to locate the whereabouts of the abducted contractor and promised to take action if NSCN-IM, which is under ceasefire agreement with the government, or any other underground outfits were found to be involved in the abduction.

But the tragedy is that even after 60 days of reported missing, 46 days of filing police complaint and 13 days of giving the assurance by the Chief Minister in the august House, the abducted contractor remains still traceless.

Of course, a day after the issue dominated the discussion in the state Assembly, NSCN-IM outrightly dismissed the allegation of its involvement in the abduction and said such baseless allegation has come like a bolt from the blue and must have been motivated with ulterior motive.

Expressing surprise over pointing the fingers of accusation against it without waiting for the police investigation to unveil the truth, NSCN (IM) also urged the family members and the general public to have proper inquiry to dig out the fact before pointing fingers at anyone.

On the other hand, wife of the abducted contractor had candidly stated that she had telephonic contact with her husband till May 28 and got information that her husband met some cadres of NSCN-IM along with Winner.

However, in its rebuttal, NSCN-IM did not mention anything in this regard apart from launching a tirade against the legislator who raised the issue in the Assembly 'in a hurried manner that reflects a strong anti NSCN (IM) campaign'.

Nonetheless, from the unprecedented manner of numerous Tangkhul bodies coming out strongly to condemn the abduction as a dastardly act that could do nothing but harm in the society and demanding immediate release of the abducted contractor unequivocally, the public are finding it increasingly difficult to dissociate possible involvement of the Naga rebel group in the abduction.

With the case of abduction and subsequent brutal killing of Dr Thingnam Kishan, the then SDO of Kasom Khullen along with two sub-ordinate staffs, still fresh in the mind of the people, wherein NSCN (IM) first went on denial mode persistently only to be admitted after every possible harm have been caused, we just hope the Naga rebel group is speaking the truth this time.