But to each his own, and no two individuals can be the same. Each politician likewise has his own way of dealing with crisis, and we just have to wait and watch if Ibobi’s way is able to get him through this rough phase again. But from all indication, at this moment he seems to be in a tight spot. The national news channel, NDTV, reported in its prime time 9pm news bulletin this evening that a furious Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has summoned him on Tuesday after another video footage of the murder of Sanjit at the Khwairamband on July 23 surfaced providing yet another visual evidence the perpetrator of the atrocities on the day were solely police commandos. The report indicated that intelligence report on the law and order developments in Manipur were not favourable too. On this count at least, it must be said, the state government had on top of the bad publicity it received, also shot itself in the foot in what is obviously an overkill in its reaction to the crisis. For reasons only it can explain, it has still not lifted the curfew even after the street protests have subsided. Those of us in the state who are used to the idea of curfews and prohibitory orders may have become desensitised, but to observer outside, the very words “curfew” and “prohibitory order” ring alarm bells. Many of us in the media know how even journalist colleagues from outside are misled by these words into wrong assessment of the situation when they call up to enquire. This impression cannot be healthy for a government whose welfare depends so much on how distant New Delhi reads the situation in the state.
One other news, related in its own way to the present developments, was disturbing. In the list of winners of the Presidents Police Medals for Distinguished Service on the occasion of Indian Independence Day, Manipur figured prominently. State policemen swept 74 of 212 Gallantry Medals. Another news said an Army Major received the prestigious Ashoka Award for his feat that included the killing of 23 insurgents in Manipur and capture of many more arms and ammunition. While we are not making any allegation (in fact we would even extend our congratulations to all the winners in uniform in the belief they were indeed rewarded for gallantry), the news coming so close on the heels of the Chungkham Sanjit killing in broad daylight, and the report that there have been at least a few hundred claims of “fake encounter” killings by combined forces of Manipur police commandos and various units of the Army and Central paramilitary forces in the recent months, cannot fail to unnerve. The question that seems to stare back at any conscientious inquirer is, are the recent spurts in “encounters” and “encounter killings”, many of the victims no doubt active militants, but many others seemingly men and even boys with no record of relations with militant groups, in any way part of a macabre medal hunt? The chief minister’s offer to resign if the judicial inquiry promised into the July 23 carnage at Khwairamband Bazar indicted him in any way either of moral, or else direct responsibility in the crime is welcome, although on the question of moral responsibility the less said the better. There is nothing much a court or an inquiry commission can do to prove moral guilt of anybody. This is more a matter of individual conscience, and not really a cognizable crime capable of attracting penal action. This being the case, it is for the individual to voluntarily own up guilt for offences he may not have directly committed, but could have been the cause even if indirectly or in remote ways. To attempt an analogy, it would be like the dog owner owning up full responsibility for anybody his or her dog may have attacked, rather than blaming it all on the dog. But let it also be noted that going through the trial by fire of acknowledging moral guilt can be an unparalleled cleansing process. The manner in which Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah, tendered his resignation on moral ground following an allegation of his involvement in a sex scandal which he vehemently denied he was at all part of, is just the most recent case. Abdullah insisted on resigning despite desperate pleas by his cabinet colleagues as well as his party men, but ultimately when his name was cleared of the scandal, he came to lead his state government a much taller leader.
But to each his own, and no two individuals can be the same. Each politician likewise has his own way of dealing with crisis, and we just have to wait and watch if Ibobi’s way is able to get him through this rough phase again. But from all indication, at this moment he seems to be in a tight spot. The national news channel, NDTV, reported in its prime time 9pm news bulletin this evening that a furious Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has summoned him on Tuesday after another video footage of the murder of Sanjit at the Khwairamband on July 23 surfaced providing yet another visual evidence the perpetrator of the atrocities on the day were solely police commandos. The report indicated that intelligence report on the law and order developments in Manipur were not favourable too. On this count at least, it must be said, the state government had on top of the bad publicity it received, also shot itself in the foot in what is obviously an overkill in its reaction to the crisis. For reasons only it can explain, it has still not lifted the curfew even after the street protests have subsided. Those of us in the state who are used to the idea of curfews and prohibitory orders may have become desensitised, but to observer outside, the very words “curfew” and “prohibitory order” ring alarm bells. Many of us in the media know how even journalist colleagues from outside are misled by these words into wrong assessment of the situation when they call up to enquire. This impression cannot be healthy for a government whose welfare depends so much on how distant New Delhi reads the situation in the state.
One other news, related in its own way to the present developments, was disturbing. In the list of winners of the Presidents Police Medals for Distinguished Service on the occasion of Indian Independence Day, Manipur figured prominently. State policemen swept 74 of 212 Gallantry Medals. Another news said an Army Major received the prestigious Ashoka Award for his feat that included the killing of 23 insurgents in Manipur and capture of many more arms and ammunition. While we are not making any allegation (in fact we would even extend our congratulations to all the winners in uniform in the belief they were indeed rewarded for gallantry), the news coming so close on the heels of the Chungkham Sanjit killing in broad daylight, and the report that there have been at least a few hundred claims of “fake encounter” killings by combined forces of Manipur police commandos and various units of the Army and Central paramilitary forces in the recent months, cannot fail to unnerve. The question that seems to stare back at any conscientious inquirer is, are the recent spurts in “encounters” and “encounter killings”, many of the victims no doubt active militants, but many others seemingly men and even boys with no record of relations with militant groups, in any way part of a macabre medal hunt?
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