True Lies

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A hoarding during Home Minister P Chidambaram visit to Senapati on 02 November 2011 - Pix :: Jimmy Leivon

Distorting facts and presenting them as ultimate truth has become a regular phenomenon in the Northeast of India and Manipur in particular. To make a legitimate claim under the provisions of law is a right guarantee to every individual or to a community that believe or subscribe to that law.

But it is another matter that the claims are made by distorting the facts and makes others to believe the claim is nothing short of committing the most heinous crime to humanity. Even worst is when the fourth pillar of democracy 'the media' also engaged in publication of such materials without any censorship.

Careful use of words are now more important than before because every act or interpretation of an event is easily translate into ethnic lines, how far it is not intended to be. The lack of sensibility is most blatantly visible when a section in one of the newspaper based in Northeast India publishes a commentary that is full of polemics against a community rather than a rational logical argument on the issue that is being raised.

The danger of lack of censorship and verification of facts is that over a period of time these materials will be used valid facts. In that moment the room for debate and discussion is lost. A classic example is the narratives presently going around on the issue of control over certain territories.

The presently known identity of Kukis and Nagas became solidified after the infamous killing between the communities that subscribe to the two identities in the early part of the 90s. Since then it appears that people residing in the hills cannot be outside of the two identities and started claiming the territories that are under their possession as lands passed on by their forefathers from time immemorial.

Subsequently, claims like 'Kuki ancestral land, justice and equality for the Kukis' and 'Kuki State our birth right' are now taken as given and the Kukis demands a separate state from the present state of Manipur. In addition, the Nagas are demanding an alternative administrative arrangement from the government of Manipur. They contended that 'alternative arrangement had been necessitated due to anti-naga stand of the communal Government of Manipur' .

The basic point that is pertinent to ponder upon is that before residing in the present territorial space people have been migrating from one place to another and it also a fact in the case of so called Kukis that they migrated to the elsewhere kingdom of Manipur and were given shelter by the king. If that is the facts then how does this question of land being in their custody from time immemorial arises?

Further, to terms a government as communal is not a political correct statement. Here, one needs to reflect and asked did the government at any point of time committed or initiated any actions against the interest of the community in pursuit of serving a particular community. If so what are the actions of the government? Dose the actions of the government goes against the laws on which the government promise to protect the lives of the people?

Is there an absence of the voice of the community in the deciding their future in the present democratic political system? Or is it the case that those exposing for the ideas have a personal political agenda? But to say that 'The Meitei Raja had never rule the Nagas of Manipur. We cannot live together when you took away everything that are in our plate, therefore, the wishes of the Nagas of Manipur for an Alternative Arrangement outside GOM should be honoured' is a broad day light murder of facts.

The fact of the matter is Government of Manipur is a secular government formed through the process of universal adult franchise under the representative democratic system. The limitations of the representative democratic system cannot be the responsibility of a particular community, in this case the Meitei. Further, the history of Nagas needs to be understood in its proper context.

Angamis in the present day Nagaland were the original Nagas that fought against the British India and later the Union of India for their Independence. The later convert Nagas from Manipur became part of the Naga Independent movement led by the Angamis in the late 70s after being a part in all the political process as a citizen of Manipur in Manipur.

The point is how the history of Naga Independent movement, led by the Angamis, became to be conflated with the anti Meitei narratives of the later converts Manipur Nagas particularly of the Tangkhuls. At a higher plane this fussiness of the history of Manipuri Nagas obscure the heinous means employed to fussed the history. On another plane, for the later generations particularly of the late 90s they are denied the privilege of even to think and imagine in their own independent way.

History is witness to the repercussions of such an act in the form of citizens of Germany believing in the condemnation of Jews by the Nazis for all the ills in the German society and later in the process of elimination of the Jews. Today, however, the actions of the Nazis are condemned by the international community and make efforts to bring justice to perpetrators of the Holocaust.

Not only these communities, even the present Chief Minister of Manipur Mr. O. Ibobi Singh after the bomb blast commented that 'When the acts of hurling bombs and firing shots in civilian areas go on unabated in connection with monetary demands, how can the State Government ask the Centre to repeal AFSPA from Manipur ?' . But, the moot point is why not the government admit its failure to prevent such incidents.

Every year large budgetary allocations are made to modernise the police and the intelligent units of the Department of Home. Police personnels are being recruited unabated to maintained law and order. If these personnels are not performing their functions then it is wastage of the tax payer's money.

In that case it is high time to look back on the functioning of the government and purpose for the existence of the police forces in Manipur. Taking recourse to AFPSA to hide its failure in maintaining of Law and order in the state is also a distortion of facts.