With New Year, Biren should be generous enough to release Kishorchandra before it is too late

Dr Th Suresh Singh *

This article is a new year gift to our Hon’ble CM. Being an ardent Modi fan because of his corruption free and sincere Government, I expected a change also in our state Government. Your writer was the 1st and only one who declared that- with or without Majority, BJP would form a Govt. in Manipur-in this very column.

That was before election and counting of votes. We wanted a change at all as was the wave elsewhere in India. After a long Congress rule, people wanted a change, that was for sure.

In Manipur, the new BJP govt. continued many good changes in a short span. Of the various new social schemes, authors’ own liking is the ‘go to the village’ of our CM. It continues to be the most popular scheme among the lot. There is no doubt, this is the feedback from the mass and from the villages.

However, the actions and counter-actions of the good governance are definitely undermined by the detention of journalist Kishorchandra under NSA. I am not going to the minutes of what Kishorchandra said/uploaded on Facebook.

However it is on record that the said person used abusive and defamatory languages in his critising BJP-led state and central Govts. for observing Rani of Jhansi’s birth anniversary. I am definitely against the use of abusive words. One should be polite, diplomatic and should maintain certain standards in writing and public speaking.

That, however, did not take away the core issue, i.e. detention of a person under NSA.

He is not waging a war against the nation. BJP has many eminent spoke-persons; the same would have been fought or clarified through the party spoke-persons. Had I been CM’s advisor, the same would have been advised.

Earlier the said person was released on bail in November on Nov. 26 (2018) by IW District Magistrate after police arrested him on 21st November last yr. He was again arrested on 27th Nov. under NSA by an order of the same Magistrate and the charge was confirmed by the Advisory board of NSA on 11th Dec (2018) .

And, the matter is at present in the hand of the Hon’ble High Court of Manipur which issued notices to the concerned authority on Dec.21 after a PIL was filed by Kishorchandra. It looks like a high explosive drama – arrest, release and arrest under NSA again. I am sure, the court will be definitely against the detention.

On the other side, another drama continued with AMWJU/EGM and certain students’ organisations levelling charges and counter-charges against each other. I am not going to details of this. However, it is desirable to have a standard, unbiased and fearless coverage by my media friends. Self himself is a victim of under-reporting by media houses in his present various PILS – present MHRC, Merger Agreement, AFSPA repeal, establishment of State Medical Council etc.

In previous 2 articles, I had given various suggestions for improvement of media coverage. We, however, should try to avoid confrontation and solve these with mutual consent. Ban of dailies, burning of dailies etc. be avoided as far as possible.

Coming to the core issue, Manipur Human Rights Commission observed International Human Rights day at 1st MR Banquet Hall on 10/12/2018. Sadly your writer, who is responsible for revival of MHRC through his PIL, was not invited. The contempt case is still pending for full functioning of the commission with next hearing in 3rd week of this month with self representing as a lawyer. Such is Manipur’s culture, one has to bear it.

Many people want to grasp the prize of other’s hard labour, let it be. UN General Assembly in its 3rd session at Paris on 10/Dec/1948 adopted a historic document known as Universal declaration of HR. It consists of right to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thoughts and expression. This day is observed as international Human Rights Day every year.

Speaking on that occasion, our CM stated that the State Government will stand firmly against any act of human rights violation. Manipur people would definitely like our CM to preserve HR as quoted above. Hence, Kishorchandra’s case itself is against what CM himself had stated. CM himself, being a previous member of media fraternity, should retrospect himself and allow free speech by everybody for all seasons to come.

He should not be caught in the web created by his insensitive advisors. Hence, with New Year, Biren should be generous enough to release Kishorchandra before it is too late. Otherwise, it will remain a black spot in his otherwise appreciable rule.