The 2nd Pallel Drug Haul-II :: Day of Reckoning for Home Minister
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 01, 2013 -

1 police personnel apprehended with 4680 strips of Respifed tablets from Pallel produced before Court of CJM Thoubal :: 29 April 2013
Pix - Gyanand Naorem

"There would be no compromise and the Police Department would take up the responsibility of maintaining law and order in the State and book the law-breakers regardless of who they are," doesn't this line from a speech made by Home Minister Gaikhangam last year sound rather odd to our ears today?

Not long after being sworn in as the Home Minister of the State in the third term of the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh-led Congress Government on March 16, 2012; Gaikhangam made a kind of his 'tryst with destiny' by pledging to streamline the State Police force to make it more public-friendly and discipline.

He also promised to take up prompt action against any security personnel involved in criminal activities. By sending out such strong messages, Home Minister Gaikhangam had indicated that he was not at all happy with the style of working of the State Police Department, and the public lapped it up thinking that he meant some real business this time.

After all, in the earlier two terms of the Congress rule in the State, during which Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh held the portfolio of Home, personnel of Manipur Police have been accused of high-handedness from all quarters.

But today, with more cases of 'law enforcers' turning into 'law-breakers' surfacing, the moment of reckoning has definitely come for Home Minister Gaikhangam and to do some serious retrospective-introspection over his 'tryst with destiny' made over a year back.

Just like his predecessor who could think of nothing else than uttering, 'very unfortunate' after every case of law-enforcers getting caught on the road side of law, the assurance of Home Minister Gaikhangam that the guilty would not be spared and necessary action would be taken up in accordance to the law of the land is becoming too predictable.

On the other hand, to say that 'I had no knowledge' (as in the case of abolition of Special Intelligence Unit (SIU) of Imphal West district four days after a huge consignment of Pseudoephedrine tablets worth around Rs 1.4 crore was seized from Tulihal Airport, Imphal on January 11 last) or 'I was not here, so I am yet to acquire a detailed report' as in the latest case of Pallel drug haul, is becoming a trademark of the Home Minister, which we feel is 'very unfortunate' ( to borrow the favourite expression of his predecessor).

To save himself from the ignominy of going down in the political history of Manipur as one of the most underperforming Home Ministers, Gaikhangam should get his act together for cleansing the rot in his 'Home', which he has always admitted but ignored by taking cue from the 2nd Pallel Drug Haul.

The testimonials given by the arrested police officers in the court of CJM, Thoubal that they were carrying the drugs worth around Rs 3.64 crore at the instruction of CO in-charge of Moreh Commando Unit should not be taken that lightly, even if it turns out to be just finger-pointing, because a serious struggle for supremacy among the drug mafias operating in the State, which was only waiting for an opportune time to break out, has just begun.

By the way, if the commando team was transporting the drugs at the behest of their OC, then at whose tune the OC must be dancing?