By : Haobam Shyamsunder
The Manipur government’s announcement of half a million rupees on the head of Khomdram Ratan, convenor of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) is a decision taken on a hasty note.
On a similar state is Esha Roy of Indian Express, newspaper of national repute, charging Khomdram Ratan, key leader of the Inner line permit system movement, having allegiance with the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF) based on the unauthentic photograph circulated in the social media. The photograph was released unanimously which Esha Roy attributes to a “reliable source”.
Does “reliable Source” always have a tendency to be hundred percent trustworthy? The legalities involved can be demoralizing for Khomdram Ratan if the charges against him are not established hundred percent. Khomdram Ratan had, in a press conference on 01 june 2016 stated that charges against him are nothing but a hoax and unfounded and it is a plot to tarnish the ongoing movement to safeguard the indegineous people of the state.
Photographs circulated in the so called social Medias have no legitimacy and most of the contentious photographs being circulated have been established to be spurious. It is surprising how a journalist of national repute writes reports based on evidences from social median without ever taking into account the legality of the photograph, wherein the origin or date of the occurrence never ever have been made known.
Whoever instigated the Manipur Police to pronounce the reward on Khomdram Ratan’s head may have been partly triumphant in trying to capsize the present agitation by JCILPS. If the ILP movement have been fuelled by the UNLF, what would happen to chief minister Ibobi who have endorsed and passed the ILP bill in the assembly?
Would the chief minister and the team of all party delegation who have gone to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to turn the protection of Manipur People (PMP) bill into an act would also be on sedition charges? Would the people, who have been agitating for the implementation of ILP in the state out of the blue, become anti-national?
There are many radical questions to be answered but it is a humiliation that the government of Manipur has acted on very promptly without corroborating the reports in the Indian Express by Esha Roy.
It is an indication of the dumbness and irresponsible governance by a ministry that have been ruling for more or less fifteen years. Legal proceedings against Khomdram Ratan could have been taken up if he was found to have been in allegiance with the proscribed UNLF after validating the so called photograph from the social media.
The government should also be conscious that demand for ILP is not beyond the constitution of India. Isn’t it too early to come to a hasty wrap up without validating the incrimination against Khomdram Ratan based merely on a likely morphed photograph?
