Black is the colour of protest in Ukhrul today
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Pamreiso Shimray

Ukhrul, August 17 2014: The intricate situations in Ukhrul � after the former ADC vice chairman Ngalangzar Malue was slain at Finch Corner � have been so melodramatic.

A symbolic black colour has been intrinsic in the civil movement against CrPC promulgation and militarisation.

In a series of recent protests in Ukhrul town, the Tangkhul organisations harp on "black", a colour that bears situational interpretations.

Women vendors wear black-coloured attires, students wear black ribbons, and women protestors demonstrate in kathi kashan (a black-coloured phanek) - worn traditionally at funeral.

These initiatives, as part of the collective civil movement against CrPC imposition and militarisation, have been taken up by Tangkhul Shanao Long.

Perhaps, the townsmen have never seen so much of "black" in the past movements.

Ukhrul has been experiencing, a record 36-day and still counting � of CrPC Act imposition.

Protest galore post-July 12 killing, and differing meanings of 'black', both literal and allegorical, have allusion to various forms of agitations.

To say figuratively, the Tangkhul Naga Long had blacked-out public participation in Independence Day celebration, while the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong blacked-out schools from July 9-16 .

A social media site devoted to Tangkhul community is flooding with black-coloured pictures in-scripted with protest slogans as user's profile photo.

Other forms of agitations comprise prayer meet and dharna � wherein women attended in black wrap-arounds, bandhs, poster campaign, and graphiti � which blacken the walls (no pun intended) in the town.

In Aztec culture, black represents "war" while in the West it stands for "mourning".

Contextually, that color indicates "withdrawal of forces and lifting of CrPC Act' for the Tangkhuls.

Now, turning to literal realities.

The prohibitory order has however been very lenient to the citizens, despite the heavy military presence.

A level of tolerance among the public too has been laudable with no reports of harassment to civilians registered with police.

In the last few public dharnas, there was not even an instance of civil disorder.

In this wake, it's so pertinent to ask � why the State government continues to see a rationale in continuing with the prohibitory order? The post-Independence India has never seen Ukhrul with CrPC Act implemented for so long, except the one this time.

The last restive period recorded in the town was in 2010, after the failed visit of NSCN supremo Th.Muivah to his birthplace Somdal, and that eventually spilled over the controversial ADC polls.

Then, neither was there a curfew nor prohibitory order.

In less than 24-hour of killing at Finch Corner, the State forces raided NSCN regional office (now remains non-functional), nabbed eight cadres and detained them till date.

In a press communiqu� issued the same day, the Naga party denied its role in the incident, and no other group has so far claimed responsibility.

The Tangkhul bodies too, after 13 days of the brutal incident, condemned the killing.

Local MLAs are said to be working out ways to de-militarise and lift the prohibitory order from Ukhrul.

However, the alternate spurts of protests have reportedly left them with little room to negotiate with the relevant authorities.

"There have been constant talks with the Chief Minister to resolve the situation," a concerned legislator told this reporter.

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