Of highways and security forces
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 14 2015 -
The demand raised by the Manipur unit of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) for deployment of security forces along National Highways leading to and from Imphal is understandable.
Well organised armed militants as well as petty criminals have been operating on both Imphal-Jirbam highway and Imphal-Dimapur highway.
While some well organised armed militants have been earning hefty revenue from transporters operating on the two highways, particularly Imphal-Dimapur highway, if what the transporters say every now and then has any substance, petty criminals strike transporters and sometimes passengers alike in the form of highway robbery and harassment of transporters.
A great many time, drivers and their helpers were beaten up and sometimes shot dead.
There were instances of armed criminals molesting women travelling in inter-State buses along the two notorious lifelines of Manipur.
Harassment of transporters and passengers also come in the form of prolonged blockades.
Blockades are far more dangerous for the entire population of the State is held at ransom when there is a prolonged blockade on highways.
In fact, blockade is a highly offensive politico-military strategy generally employed by more powerful countries over not so powerful countries.
However, unfortunately in the landlocked State of Manipur, people of Manipur have been employing the strategy of highway blockade quite often for all kinds of grievances.
Though the strategy of blockade is directed against the Government, it needs no reminder that it is the common people who suffer the most every time when there is prolonged blockade.
Given these facts, JD-U’s demand for deployment of highway protection force has its own logic and rationale.
Notably, the Transporters and Drivers Council (TDC), one of the apex transport organisations of the State has been staying away from Imphal-Dimapur highway and they have been taking the longer and much more tortuous Imphal-Jiribam highway since a couple of years back following repeated harassment of transporters, and frequent bandhs and blockades on Imphal-Dimapur highway.
This much is true. Coming to the question of deployment of highway protection forces, we are of the view that highway protection forces cannot be the best solution.
Of course, petty criminals may be checked by deployment of security forces.
But the same strategy will turn out to be a total misfit when it comes to disturbances on highways on account of political grievances.
Basically, deployment of security forces is a military strategy and it would be disastrous to employ such military strategy to tackle political grievances and issues.
Moreover, deployment of security forces along the entire Manipur section of the National Highways would imply massive militarization.
This would be severe infringement upon the civil space.
There should be a clear line of demarcation between militarization and policing and the two should not be mixed up, even by mistake.
Even if highway protection forces should be deployed under compelling conditions, it should be preceded by civil administration.
First, one must ensure that there is effective civil administration all over the State. Military forces can never supplant civil administration.
For effective civil administration, the foremost prerequisite is a trustworthy policing system.
Once there is a policing system trusted by all citizens, the need for protection of highways by using military forces would vanish into thin air.
Securing highways by deploying security forces can best be the second option.
We are of the view that the first option must be installation of effective civil administration and of course good governance.
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