Human Rights and Political Solution

By Heigrujam Nabashyam *

I have not read a book on Human Rights – UN Charter on Human Rights, National and State Human Rights Commissions and their provisions, etc. I have also not read the provisions of AFSPA. But I understand that living in a democratic country, I have the right to do anything as I wish within the parameter of the law of the land.

I have the right to go wherever and whenever I want. I have the right to pursue anything as I wish. I have the right to sing and speak whatever I like. I have the right to celebrate or not to celebrate any occasion according to my choice. I have the right to live peacefully at my home without anyone and anything disturbing me at any point of time.

And the corollary – I also understand that anyone has the same rights like I do. Therefore, I believe, the basic foundation of Human Rights is, no one absolutely no one and no government and absolutely no government has the right to disturb or cause to disturb, hurt, injure anybody while enjoying one's rights or while discharging its functions, except under the law. However, all these rights rest on the presumption that one's right to life is guaranteed.

Therefore, the simple logic of Human Rights is, one has as much rights as anyone – including the General of the Indian Army, the Director General of the Police, a rickshaw puller, a farmer or an artist, etc. Nobody absolutely nobody – including the General or the Director General – has the right to violate my rights or your rights irrespective of age, sex, caste, creed, belief, race and nationality.

However, the truth is today anybody with a gun is the law in Manipur – a natural fallout of insurgency. Maybe, the man with the gun is a government man or a non-government man, it does not matter. This is what everybody is talking about – a conflict zone or a conflict situation. The situation has made a mockery of the rights of a human being or Human Rights, as it is popularly called. Indeed Human Rights has become a luxury in Manipur which can only be afforded by the powerful.

December 10 – Day of International Human Rights was reported to have observed widely in Manipur. It was also reported that most of the Rights activists, scholars and experts who spoke on the occasion focused on insurgency more than Human Rights and it was rightly so.

The considered view of the Day, according to the media, was a political solution was the only solution to the issue of insurgency. This considered opinion has also been shared by the general public. So now, what do we do to find a political solution instead of repeating the Mantra again and again ?

To a common man, the picture right now is confusing. According to the Ibobi Singh government, there are at least 40 insurgent groups operating in Manipur; this precisely, is a huge problem. Therefore this incredible problem needs to be understood before going any further.

As pointed out earlier in this column there seems to be a bona fide mix-up in the effort of the Ibobi Singh government to identify the insurgents. Manipur – home to at least 36 indigenous ethnic groups of peoples – has certain peculiar and inherent problems which are easily intelligible to a son of the soil. This aspect requires to be understood to have a clear picture.

The different ethnic groups are not always compatible with one another. Most of the ethnic groups experienced at one time or other, extreme violence from armed cadres belonging to another ethnic group. This unpleasant experience naturally induced the ethnic groups to form dedicated armed cadres to protect the interests of their respective groups which are understandable.

Incidentally, the Ibobi Singh government must have mixed-up these dedicated cadres with the insurgents without any distinction. However, this mix-up, has confused and complicated the issue of insurgency. It needs to be understood that this mix-up will, in no case, help in any way.

One can understand that an insurgent group is a group which professes a political goal based on a political ideology. They do not accept the constitution of the country and they fight against the government. Applying this simple knowledge, it is not difficult to identify the insurgent groups of Manipur, which need not be elaborated.

It may not be necessary to remind the people's representatives that to deal with the issue of insurgency the basic requirement is, the governments – both the centre and the state – must be honest. However, going by the way the Ibobi Singh government in dealing with the issue for the last few years, it seems the Ibobi Singh government has taken the issue in a way reminiscent of the Khalistan in Punjab which was different in spirit, contents and context. And it may not just go away like the Khalistan by eliminating some leaders and cadres.

Fact is, Manipuris are a romantic people who take much pride and honour in their nationality. For more than five centuries the Manipuris – inspite of its smallness in number, were in a perennial state of war with the Burmese until the Imperial British power destroyed them in the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891; but the spirit of the Manipuris could not be destroyed.

Soon trouble started with the difficult Manipuris and the Office and Residence of the British ruler, the site of the present Raj Bhavan was burned down though they were disarmed, emasculated and rudderless after a decade of the war. Then 1930s witnessed the beginning of armed underground movement under the iconic leadership of Hijam Irabot, who died in Burma in 1951 – as an underground insurgent leader, fighting for the peasants and the oppressed people.

This is the prelude to the present insurgency which started from 1960s. This continuity much be understood. The incident of the titular king being forced to sign to merge Manipur with India, denying the Manipuris the Right to Self Determination has been the contention.

Now, it is the elected representatives of Manipur who got the mandate of the people – to take the issue to the national political spectrum. Feigning ignorance and attempting to dilute and blur the issue by projecting it as acts of plain terrorism fit to be handled by the military show serious lack of sincerity, understanding and foresight on the part of the people's representatives who run the state and to some extent the centre.

And ironically enough, is it not the biggest problem ?

Copy with high regards to :-
1. Dr. Manmohon Singh
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
Hon'ble Leader of Opposition :
Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha
Smt. Sonia Gandhi
Hon'ble Chairperson, UPA - via email.