A reality check on the July 23 incident at Yaingangpokpi

Phungchamnao Ranreiphi Kharei *

As the footage https://youtu.be/Nv8JzccBxy4 showed, some youths beaten up by the police at Yaingngangpokpi, Manipur on 23rd July, 2020, went viral on various social media and telecasted on two local news channel without proper information, the victims and many people are disappointed. It leaves viewers in suspense and many netizens are curious to know the authentic news behind the unfortunate incident.

According to a first hand report, unlike the reports and opinion on social media about the unfortunate incident, the question of curfew violation did not arise at all and also the question of the flag post vehicle did not arise as in the ongoing curfew, certain emergency cases are exempted for free movement and all four of them had different emergency reasons to travel.

The victims said, "We were four, coming down to Imphal from Ukhrul. While reaching Yaingangpokpi, there were some policemen on duty.

A Constable approached us and stopped our vehicle but we could not pull up exactly on the spot where he wanted us to stop.

We were cooperating with the police officers so after enquiry some police officers told us to go but the police personnel who gave the signal to stop us started hurling abusive words (in Meitei language) such as "Shak...namaa ..." merely because our vehicle didn’t stop exactly at the spot where he was standing.

So one of our friends who was driving the vehicle told him “We respect your duty. We are cooperating with you ,” and asked the personnel to be more decent and respectful to the public also but the police personnel keep hurling abusive words without any break.

That is why he got down from the vehicle and therein the heated argument started. While arguing, the police personnel hit him with his gun barrel that enraged our friend.

The whole episode of argument from our side is, why you hurl abusive language when we are cooperating by stopping our vehicle ? We asked them to be more decent and respectful being well trained police and their argument was why we didn’t stop at the exact spot where they signalled us to stop ?

“After intervention from both sides, we settled down and some police personnel told us to go but the ASI told us to wait for the OC. So we waited for the OC for a few minutes and when the OC came, one of our friends requested him to settle the matter there at the Yaingangpokpi bazar but the OC insisted to go to police station.

He requested them to pick his phone from our vehicle. When he turned towards our vehicle, the police personnel manhandled him and started beating him ruthlessly.

"Words of the audience further added fuel to the unfortunate situation, provoking the police to make things even more worse" said one of the witnesses.

"Admitting their inhumane acts committed by the police personnel which was like an attempt to murder, cash was given on the spot to compensate but we did not accept it. The police SP personally came and apologised at JNIMS hospital and have borne the medical bills," stated the victims.

Compromising is good but on the other hand, the factual story of the unfortunate incident has been telecast as news with distorted version. As media is the voice to reach the unreached without bias and promote communal harmony, it will be good if the incident was reported objectively based on facts with fairness and balance in order not to hurt the sentiments of the victims and community at large.

Should we allow the same/similar mistake to happen with other people again? Does the curfew order empower police personnel to abuse civilians physically & verbally? Is it wrong for civilians to ask police personnel not to hurl abusive words without any valid reason? Is it the professionalism of news channels to report the news without knowing or digging out the truth from both the parties ?

Why double standard was applied by the personnel for some of the locals to open their shops ?

It is always good to promote feeling of brotherhood to live as good neighbours as both the communities will always be neighbours as it is for many people of both the communities.

Note: Names are not mentioned to protect the image of the people. The whole objective is to be humane.