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Front Page >> Editorials > Story
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Uneasy Peace
Two incidents in the last few days have exposed just how fragile or farcical the supposedly peaceful condition is in some of the hill districts following the negotiation between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India since 1997. It was on July 23 that Assam Rifles busted a detention centre run by the NSCN (IM) at Ukhrul and arrested four cadres of the rebel group and it was on the very next day that about 30 well armed NSCN (IM) cadres rescued their comrades from the hands of the police men while the arrested were being taken to the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate.

The second incident refers to the July 26 shoot out between the Assam Rifles and suspected cadres of the NSCN (IM) at Leingangching in Thoubal district in which two Assam Rifles personnel were injured while another youth was killed under contradictory claims. It is not yet clear whether the youth slain in the encounter was a member of the rebel outfit or a civilian killed by stray bullets. Whatever the case may be the two incidents have more than made it clear that the so called peace prevailing in some districts of Manipur is nothing much more than a facade which has been imposed on the people.

The very fact that the NSCN (IM) was running a detention centre to penalize what it termed, social rogues, is a clear indication of how it has been using its muscle power to intimidate and punish the civil population. As we understand it, peace should not be seen only in the context of non-confrontation between an armed group and the security force, but about how freely and fearlessly the civil population is allowed to live without any diktats from any power player. One may argue that since the cease fire pact is not enforced in Manipur, the question of non-confrontation between the IM group and the security force does not arise. However the fact stands that the cease fire is very much in force here, though unofficially.

Peace has been the elusive dream for the people of Manipur and the North East for the last many, many years and while each and every group of people will vouch for the need of peace to prevail, no one seems ready to concede some ground for peace to prevail. Peace, like any other dreams and aspirations of the people also have a price and that is the willingness to see the view points and arguments of the other side without being too rigid. The question before us is whether any of the parties concerned in the tug of war are ready to go that little distance to see and understand the view points and opinion of the other side.

To really qualify for the term peace, it should be understood that it means not only absence of violence and stand offs, but also absence of diktats and threats. If we take this parameter into consideration then we can safely say that peace is still a far cry for the Naga people for the writs and diktats and the threat perception of the NSCN (IM) still persist. It is this fact that the Naga people should realize and then garner the courage to say that for peace to really prevail and live up to its parameters, the rebel group, should stop running a sort of a parallel Government. Only then will peace live up to its real term and significance. To let this happen, the role of the Naga civil societies is important. They can no longer remain under the illusion that there is now peace in their region.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)

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