Lifting CrPC from Ukhrul
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 08, 2014 -

A day after partially relaxing imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 in Ukhrul town which has been in place since July 13 last without a break, the Government of Manipur has came up with the decision of withdrawing the prohibitory orders that restrict assembly of four or more people at one place or carrying arms or weapons altogether from Ukhrul town on September 7.

While the decision to partially lift the restrictive orders was taken on September 5 following a series of meetings with an official team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs led jointly by Prakash Mishra, Special Secretary (Internal Security) and Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary in-charge of North East Affairs, who were deputed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take stock of the situation in Manipur in the wake of the indefinite blockade call given by the United Naga Council (UNC) along the National and State Highways as well as imposition of ban on construction activities of National Projects in Naga inhabited areas of the State; the decision to withdraw the orders altogether is said to have been arrived at after the Government of Manipur reviewed the law and order situation prevailing in Ukhrul town and satisfied that the situation has improved substantially.

How the UNC and other frontal organisations that have been crying hoarse against prolonged imposition of the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in Ukhrul town for nearly two months would react to this development is yet to be know, but one simple question that even a layman would like to ask here is how does the Government of Manipur come to the conclusion that the law and order situation in Ukhrul town has ‘substantially improved’ within a span of one day.

We are not saying that the decision to lift the prohibitory orders was wrong and it should remain.

It is the conduct and the attitude of the Government in dealing with an avoidable crisis that is questionable.

The decision of the Government to impose the prohibitory orders a day after the killing of Ngalangzar Malue, an elected member to the Autonomous District Council of Ukhrul in an ambush laid by some armed militants at Finch Corner on July 12 last may have been a necessity at that time for launching a crackdown on the killers and it may also be true that Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Gaikhangam has received lots of ‘thank you’ smses from people of Ukhrul through his mobile phone for sending the criminal elements away from the town.

But what was the Government thinking when it defies all democratic norms and principles in prolonging the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC for a record time (not just in the history of strife-torn Manipur, but also perhaps in the whole world), that too after claiming repeatedly that there has been no law and order since the imposition of the prohibitory orders.

Was it waiting for more ‘thank you’ SMSes, when the harm has already been done?

Anyway, it’s so funny, if UNC has held the dubious distinction of imposing the longest blockade in the State; the Government of Manipur would go down in history for imposing the longest prohibitory orders at any place.