Some recent
incidents have shown the true lights of the
outrageous incompetence and socio-political
tragedy of the Manipur State Government and
its law enforcement agencies. They have also
clearly shown the rapid degeneration of our
very own society. The darker sides of
insurgency movements in Manipur are much
better left uncriticized since media persons
have neither firearms nor armed escort party
like the high-flying corrupted political
leaders and street-smart police officers and
bureaucrats. An abortive life attempt upon a
senior journalist is a grim reminder that it
is much the wiser to cover reports of
insurgency movement victims rather than
being the victim itself.
The first most disturbing issue was that of
the alleged multiple-raping of young Hmar
girls by suspected non-tribal UGs in
Churachandpur district. The second issue is
that of the alleged 'staged-surrenderings'
of four youths at the IG-AR(s) HQ,
Mantripukhri, at the hands of Lt. Gen ZU
Shah, 3rd Corps on the March 13, 2006, along
with firearms and dressed in non-standard
pattern (NSP) military uniforms. Both the
NSP firearms and UG uniforms are not
available in market stores. Since the
alleged surrenderees had paid their way
through in unlawful backdoor enlistment
method at the behest of a self-styled
Army/Assam Rifles (AR) recruiter by
misguiding local authorities, the Army/Assam
Rifles, for once, cannot be held accountable
or be blamed exclusively.
As a matter of fact, it is the full
responsibility of the local or state law
enforcement agencies to confirm the claim
and officially verify all the antecedents of
UG militants as genuine cases before any
surrender ceremony conducted by the Army/AR.
Moreover, senior police officers concerned,
the Army/AR cannot conduct such ceremony all
alone as they please since there are strict
military guidelines. On top of that the
Army/AR are very meticulous, methodical and
very guarded when it comes to such grand
surrender-ceremonies. That is why a general
staff officer in the form of Lt. Gen ZU
Shah, GOC 3rd Corps, took time to grace the
ceremony since it was believed by the
Army/AR that all the surrenderees were
genuine UG militants, a small job which
ought to be conducted by a Brigadier or DGP.
This fiasco is a real fiasco for the State
police screening committee, and a fall-out
of the State Government misadventure
besettled with questionable or unequal
justice system. The undeniable causes of
this pathetic State Government sponsored UG
surrenderee rehabilitation program are the
staggering unemployment situation, lure of
fast-tract job prospects and the naked
corrupted activities of the State Government
officials laced with unlawful political
activities. Some would do anything to buy
regular jobs, some would go for any
money-making business regardless of the
legality of it and some would just perish in
eternity while seeking it lawfully.
The March 13, 2006 surrender controversy
needs to be examined impartially from a
legal standpoint since an unlawful activity
had been evidently committed by some of the
surrenderess at IG AR (s) HQ. Firstly, the
main culprit was the absconding
self-appointed recruiter since he is not
even an armed forces personnel or agent. As
we all know, neither bribery nor any
corrupted activities are allowed in the
Army/AR regular recruitment process unlike
the State law enforcement recruitment
system. Recruitment is based on physical,
mental, medical and educational fitness:
it's about all the best men in, the lesser
out. If the alleged four 'forced-surrenderees'
considered themselves fit enough to become
regular armed forces personnel, why on earth
did they try to 'enlist' unconditionally via
back-door process by 'paying' a self-styled
Army/AR recruiter who has no proper
authority.
Without a certain price, this treacherous
charlatan would not have been employed
officially by the Army/AR authorities. Why
did the four job seekers not take part in
regular recruitment process? How on earth
could they easily get themselves inside an
Army/AR camps for a regular job by using
unofficial channels if they are not armed UG
surrenderees? Moreover, they were officially
proclaimed as surrendered UG militants by
the Thoubal district police HQ, without
which they just cannot be kept under
military protective custody with the
mandatory fictitious name to protect their
identities and their family members. Many
immediate family members have been
'punished' by the UG outfits they had
treacherously deserted. This is an
equivalent of the witness protection system
used all over the civilized world.
Not two surrenderees sheltered at the police
commandos HQ were shot dead by unidentified
men as they strolled out at North AOC,
whereas two disgruntled surrenderees were
shot dead by the police commandos themselves
as the two tried to run away with weapons.
The fact of another two ex-militant police
commandos who were caught at MG Avenue by
the Commandos as they tried to flee with
service firearms some years back is not
known: both of them were used as football
and kickbag under the street light. Some
months back, beguiled surrendered militants
under the protection of the police commandos
staged a dharna in front of the CM office
for not being inducted as CDOs/IRB jawans as
officially promised despite the lapse of
nearly a year's period. They were lathi-charged
and butted back to CDO HQ. Till now those UG
surrenderees and newer one's family members
filed a case as required for branch official
promises and unlawful confinement.
Coming back to the 'staged surrender' fiasco
at IG-AR(S) Hq, one must have to keep in
mind the origin of it all. In this case,
three citizens of the State have been
working illegally to earn money
unpatriotically by treacherously misguiding
the unguided youths and blissfully ignorant
family members with the help of some local
police officers who secretly verified them
as known or active UG militants. God only
knows how many such unlawful recruitment
have been arranged in the past. Those three
self-proclaimed recruiters are the real
culprits who sold out the sons of Manipur
with the help of some corrupted police
officers who should be held accountable for
the fake surrender. Without the assistance
of those charlatan recruiters and proper
official verifications, no armed forces
units would or could accept any armed UG
militant who come to surrender.
Of course, the AR/Army in Counter Insurgency
Operations (CI OPs) campaign will do
anything or everything to lure in genuine UG
militants, better known as 'misguided
youths' to work under their wings at all
cost. After all, UG surrenderees have lots
of information and local knowledge. In fact,
the surrender program is regularly held in
accordance with the guidelines laid down by
the State administration. In this March 13,
2006, surrender fiasco, it is the fake
surrenderees, the self-styled recruiters and
local police authorities who broke the law
by resorting to unofficial back-door black
recruitment. By their own admissions and IOs
report, the misguided youths bought firearms
as 'instruments' of surrender, thereby
misguiding the armed forces authorities.
This incident
reflects our society's 'by hook or by crook'
money-making mentality. With the daily doses
of extortions, killings, kidnappings and
nasty allegations, we all are being
seemingly absorbed into the ever growing
volatile gun-culture and seems to enjoy the
darker side of things. Our sense of
responsibility, in retrospect, is on lower
side, we need to stand up proud.
If the State Government and NGOs have done
their responsible bits, allegations of fake-surrenderings,
mass rapings, lootings, and killings would
not have happened time after time. Lack of
job avenues and profitable business has
taken a great toll in our present society.
If things go as they do know, May God
Almighty help us all. |
