The air is thick with anticipation of the arriving Christmas festivals particularly in this State with a perennial presence of occasions for celebrations. That the people pour their hearts out in their celebrations might very well be a manifestation of their frustrations and hopelessness of the present situation.
Wishes and messages of peace and harmony, not to forget development and progress will be doled out to the public with unerring accuracy and seemingly empathic statements, both by the ruling leaders elected by the people, as well as by those who have taken over the cause of fighting against the injustice and independence of the people upon themselves. The ideologies, have they been practiced as propagated, could have propelled this small state into a league of its own, one which the rest of the world would have looked up to for inspiration and guidance.
The reality that lay around us couldn’t be more different or ironic. In spite of so many patriots and pioneers of freedom and justice, why is the common man in Manipur still could not live a decent life? Why is efficiency and hard work not being regarded with the same venerability as the ability to cozy up to power and riches? Why is fear and violence being viewed as the preferred mode of getting things done-for those who can, or profess to have the power, to unleash them? What is the meaning of peace and independence when the common people, far removed from the company of the powerful government, live in fear and uncertainty, deprived of their rightful stakes, their share of the benefits being utilized, albeit without their consent or knowledge, by the bureaucrats and heads of departments as well as those fighting for independence to further their professed cause of development, justice and independence? Why, despite the teeming guardians of truth and equality, the majority of the public is still reeling under injustice and oppression? Is extortion and use of force- lethal force at times a prerequisite for attainment of peace, freedom and independence? How do these opposing forces, purportedly working towards the same goal, envisage the participation of the public for which they are supposedly carrying out their pursuits when the trust and empathy have all but evaporated into thin air? The frightened feelings and uncertainty of the people should be allayed first.
The change of guard in the government makes no difference. When 1528 cases of fact encounter or extrajudicial killing case in Manipur still remain pending in the Supreme court , another civilian was allegedly killed in police and AR custody. A journalist of the state has been arbitrarily detained in custody by slapping National Security Act (NSA) just because he spoke something against this government.
The present practice of holding a gun to the head of the public while enquiring their allegiance will not work in the long run.
Well not every human being is good. Some have criminal mind, some habitual offenders, some never bother for the suffering of others. Only few are beyond these perception and these few people are the one who will be remembered by the future generation. Fame and fortune by committing abusive activism fooling others will not last long. On the initial stage Kishorechandra arrest for his dissent to the government gets no support. But with some including Imphal Times taking and another highly decorated Imphal based newspaper called Imphal Free Press have take the matter seriously and now the matter is taken as an issue by almost all the National dailies and electronic TVs. Yet the cry for justice by all the media across the country and abroad has been trying to mislead by some self style vested interested leader of Manipur based Journalists’ body by leaning to the government side , for reason best known to them.
Everybody knows that, yet people of the contemporary days never bother what the future will say about them. One thing most believed is that – Live a life with comfort and luxury is the need of today’s contemporary society, Who cares after death? After all there is no guarantee that we will have a next live or not? If it does happen who cares, nobody is going to remember what they did in their last live. It is this perception that people of today did every odd thing to make huge money using any means even to the cost of somebody’s live.
The Government should cleanse itself by correcting the wrong and not by forcibly making the wrong to correct using force by releasing Wangkhemcha Kishorechandra with an apology to the media fraternity across the world. This will be the only means to regain that dwindling confidence of the people by N. Biren Singh Government. Or else “the Little Dictator” which the Former Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju called will be remember when ever N. Biren Singh names come up by the future generation.
