Winter of discontent and stand offs : Destination Delhi
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 28, 2012 -

Delhi seems to have become the favourite destination in this winter of stand offs and tension.

And so it is that while an all political party delegation is set to proceed to Delhi and urge the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to effect the arrest of Livingstone Anal, the central character in the ugly scene that unfolded at Chandel on December 18, the United Naga Council too has announced that it would apprise the molestation of a young girl at Napet on December 24 to the Prime Minister.

Same destination but for different reasons and compulsions.

With the State Government pathetically failing to understand the situation and act promptly, the chances of Livingstone having flown the coop and taken shelter at Camp Hebron is a distinct possibility.

This would naturally mean that the only option left before the State Government is to knock on the door of Delhi to pull up the senior functionary of the NSCN (IM). Makes sense in a sense.

On the other hand, the UNC's stated decision to approach Delhi is also in line with the demand raised for an Alternative Arrangement, outside the Government of Manipur.

Stretch this line a little more and it could mean that the swift action taken up by the State police in arresting the three main accused would become irrelevant to the UNC.

Herein lies the distinct possibility of the politics of the day overshadowing the bestiality of the three men who molested the young girl on Christmas eve.

The last word is yet to be said, but for a State which has witnessed numerous days of curfews, economic blockades, counter blockades, public blockades and outrages of all types, will the winter of 2012 be just another period on the calendar or will it have resonances in the years to come ?

This is undoubtedly a question that falls in the realm of speculation but nevertheless a significant question given the fact that the sharp divide along ethnic line was laid down very clearly in the last few days that followed the December 18 incident.

It is this ethnic divide that overshadowed the December 18 incident as well as has the potential to bury the December 24 incident at Napet under Lamlai police. Time for all to seriously reflect and introspect.

When politics of this kind derails issues such as attacks on the modesty of women, then society as a whole will pay a heavy price in the future.

A place where the position of women can be defiled, usurped and played around at the altar of a larger political agenda and Manipur has nothing to gloss over this.

This may sound uncharacteristic of The Sangai Express but the police do deserve a pat on the back for the swift action it took up in arresting the three men accused of molesting a girl on December 24.

If only a similar response had come from the NSCN (IM) in connection with the December 18 incident, then things could have taken a different turn.

Or maybe this was that the outfit wanted to happen in the first place.

A sharper divide along ethnic line will definitely work to its advantage and it is a shame that the bandh orchestrators failed to understand this.

In a few days Manipur, like the rest of the world, will be bidding adieu to 2012 and it is up to the people as a whole to decide which direction the place should head forward.