Lungnila Elizabeth continues to live in our hearts and it will only be at the cost of the whole State or its people that the memory of the girl can be erased.

It is almost three years down the line since the young child was kidnapped from outside her school by some goons and later killed and justice is yet to be delivered.

The kidnapping and later murder of the little girl was abhorrent but equally pathetic too has been the complete failure of the State Government to book the culprits and allow the law to take its course.

No one seems to know what has happened to the case that was handed over to the CBI after the Special Investigation Team of the State police failed miserably to make any headway in cracking the case.

On the other hand no one, most of all the Government, seems to care what has happened to the case.

Where is James Kuki, the man believed to be the master mind behind the kidnapping and later murder of the little girl ?

What has happened to the lie detection case that was performed on two of the accused at Gujarat some time back ? No one seems to know and what is most abhorrent is no one seems to care either.

Will the NSCN (IM) please say what has happened to James Kuki and tell the people of the progress it has made from interrogating the main accused ?

What is stopping the outfit from spelling out the version of the man who is in their custody ? Or has James Kuki been granted parole as it happened once ?

The kidnapping of the little girl shocked our sensibilities and it turned to rage when her decomposed body was recovered days later inside a pit and it still does.

Till today, the story of Lungnila Elizabeth continues to haunt us and however much the father of the late child, the redoubtable Mr Francis Ngajokpa, may say that all has been forgiven, we still believe that justice should not be denied.

And justice can be delivered only when her killers are booked and punished according to the law of the land.

The story of Manipur is a story of tragedy.

From Sanamacha to the countless of others who disappeared after they were picked up allegedly by security personnel to Th Manorama, Ngaprum Rose, Pastor Jamkholet, the bomb blast at ISKCON etc all tell the story of the tragedies that have come to be associated with this land.

The story of Lungnila Elizabeth ranks right up there in the list of tragedies that Manipur has witnessed.

Come November 4 and her third death anniversary will be observed and while we pay respect to the departed soul, in our own ways, let's ponder over the question why Lungnila had to die the way she did ?

Did we as a society fail her when she needed our help the most, is a question that we need to raise now so that there are no future Lungnilas to haunt our conscience.

The story of Lungnila Elizabeth is a story of the collective failure of the State Government, its law enforcing agencies and society as a whole.

No one can escape the responsibility.

Remember such crimes can occur only in a place where it has tolerated the culture of kidnapping for ransom and the growing gun culture for too long.

When was the last time we sincerely came out to condemn any act of violence without any biases ?

This is a question we need to seriously ponder over.