Chongkham Sanjit, 27 is seen here being dragged by the commandos into a pharmacy. He has been surrounded by commandos for several minutes and is obviously unarmed. A few minutes later, commandos drag Sanjit’s dead body out of the pharmacy. (Photo Courtesy Tehelka)
When galore reports of death in “encounter killing” is almost a daily dose making a headline in every printed and electronic media in Manipur as amply evident in the spurts of fake encounter reports, and when the public have turned or become inure to such news reports, the fake encounter on 23rd July that claimed the lives of an innocent and the supposed insurgent assailant would also have just pass off like any other but for the daring Tehelka exposure that turned the situation in a new twist.
The Tehelka exposure bestirred emotional outburst, and public outrage ensued over the controversial and contradictory version of the report of the fake encounter on 23rd July as reported by the police official and later stated by CM Ibobi Singh at the assembly. This time the situation is not same as it used to be in the past and it appears the bad days to continue is imminent as the angst of the public is far from being pacified as more fake encounters as reported and the protest in demand to oust CM Ibobi Singh from the throne of power shows no let-up. Indeed, uneasy lies in the crown of throne for Ibobi Singh.
Understandably today the public sentiment and disapproval is, has all the death reports in the past ‘fake encounter killings’ have been the same fate of the 23rd July fake encounter, as too many of this kind has been there, and the truth always been covered up as part of State policy in its counter insurgency campaign or ‘State terrorism’ as it is now being alleged?. But the truth is, as we need to understand what really lies beneath, it is a lid-off of a sinking feeling of accumulated frustration and exasperation the people has been going through for too long in Manipur in an extreme situation of excesses carried out by the government security forces, and bomb threat and extortion by the miscreants coupled with a high level of corruption in every layers of government machinery. It is a situation where the public is letting out long suppressed angst of schizophrenic-like against both the legitimate government and parallel government through an outlet that the bombshell such as the Tehelka has exposed. It is a sad pass that Manipur is infested with virulent insurgency problem, and the fake encounter on 23rd July is basic to the problem of insurgency and State policy to contain insurgents. In pursue of this policy has the government turned insensitive and apathetic to the live security and basic right of the common people to lead a normal live without fear? It is politically imperative to understand this complex situation in the State and that the life of the common people in such situation is not left unconcerned. When the live of an innocent is endangered by the State security forces as in the case of fake encounter on 23rd July the question of whether the government policy to contain insurgency is in a right frame as intent is crucial and cannot be left unquestioned.
In the post-Tehelka exposure, show of public outrage and leveling of vituperative allegation against CM Ibobi Singh and his government of using the security forces with impunity in its counter-insurgency campaign are laid bared. The public seems to have enlightened after the Tehelka exposure about the excesses of brutality committed by the ‘Khaki Cops’ in carrying out its duty with absolute disrespect of any universal standard of human dignity. In a State infested with intractable insurgency problem and where the policy of ‘Carrot or Stick’ is often employed to contain insurgents there is also a peril of excessive use of ‘Stick’ approach alone that would affect the live of commoner and disrespect the dignity of life. The ‘rule of law’ is no doubt necessary to maintain law and order but it is also equally important to ring the bell that resorting to such ‘stick’ approach alone do not serve good in long term resolution of conflict situation and disregard the lives of the people.
When the legitimate law enforcer empowered by the government gets out of hand and begun to take the power with impunity leasing out macabre with not restrain then that legitimate forces of the government becomes a threat rather than a protection to the people. It would be inapt to say that the government policy in containing insurgency is itself inhumane, that it allows the legitimate forces to go and do rampant killings with impunity. It is but the way the empowered ‘khaki Cops’ are doing their job without conscience like an automaton or programmed ‘killing machine’ without emotion that we see in the surreal movies. For that the government is also equally responsible for not restraining the security forces from misusing the power given to them. Unfortunately, a blunder act committed by few police personnel is enough to let out the skeleton out of cupboard of such unrestrained execution of excesses carried out by the government forces in the eyes of the public. If few cops have committed condemnable act in excesses it amounts to the whole security establishment and ultimately it is the government that must own responsibility and accountability. Democracy guaranteed protection of lives and security to its citizens, but when the elected people’s representative fail to do that then that government is in crisis. Any government policy that posed threat to the live security of the common citizens becomes an anti-people policy. This is what Manipur is today and what CM Ibobi Singh is under pressure and accountable to the people in the case of fake encounter on 23rd July. Restoration of democratic principle of good and efficient governance through revamping of the policy to a right frame will go a long way to win back the confidence of the people, the backbone of a democratic government.
As it is everywhere in all democratic governments where there is corrosion of law and order and lives and rights of the people are hijacked, it is quite a normal democratic means that the people take to the street in the form of protest and burning of effigies of those at the helm and turned their impatience against the ruling government for restoration of law and order. The question of good governance come to the fore here. The SPF government is in its second term with full mandate of the people and it the right of the people to expect good governance from their elected representatives. There is a danger for the legislature that becomes complacent in its political responsibility to the people, lest the latter turned non-complaisant in their confidence to the ruling government. The question at stake is, has CM Ibobi Singh and his government failed in that front to have today the people turn their angst against him and the government in the aftermath of the fake encounter on 23rd July.
One likes it or not Manipur is a peculiar State face up to the myriad of political problems, some of which are really complex in nature and not easy to solve or redress easily. Just in the recent past days there have been continued bandhs, protests, rallies and economic blockade by different organizations for different demands. While in the valley there is no let up of protests over the fake encounter, there had been in the hill districts bandh and rallies for revocation of cabinet decision to deploy police commandos and IRB in the hill districts, or the economic blockade in NH 39 called by the SDSA against non-improvement of NH-39 along the stretches of Senapati district. There are many in fact.
It is a usual nature that government geared up and rolled sleeve to pacify the public only after such protests are staged or when the damage is already done. It is quite impossible to imagine having Manipur or any State free of problems, but what we can expect to have is mitigation of problems by the government through providing good governance and addressing crucial one in time with sincere effort and not just lip service. Manipur has become a proverbial problem-ridden State and we cannot expect to have an easy solution to all the problems to the desires of multi-ethnic groups, but that does not absolve the government from its irresponsibility of being complacent and remaining unconcerned to the people cries when they are discontented with the kind of governance been provided is not ensuring security to their lives. It is a political imperative for the government to fulfill its political responsibility sincerely to the people today who have placed their confidence through their mandate.