Need to be on guard against rumours: Rein in loose talks

No doubt the tension is palpable. But more than this what everyone should be on guard against are the rumour mongers who do nothing except add more to the tension and create unnecessary suspicion. Given the way loose tongues do the round, it is not surprising to get first hand information from some unfortunate folks being ‘brainwashed’ to take the road in the dead of the night for the talk doing the round is, ‘better move in the night when everyone is asleep, else tomorrow could be dicey. Just look at the way the protest has been shaping up.’ It is along this line that many, who have to catch a flight, say on November 10, are constrained to leave home on November 7 night, halt two days at a relative’s place in Imphal and then catch the flight on the scheduled date. This is not only mischievous but also dangerous and nothing could be further from the truth. Yes there are sit-ins, meira rallies, protest marches etc but take note, no one or rather no community has been targeted. The demand has always centred around the burning desire of the people to know the details of the Framework Agreement, the points that were agreed upon on October 31 and yes the stand that nothing should be incorporated in the final pact that could harm the interests of Manipur and her people. There have been hundreds of rallies and hundreds of sit-ins and protest marches as well, but not for once has any community been targeted and the maturity of the people should be taken note of by everyone. Yes there have been some provocative stands aired on the social media sites from either side of the ‘divide’ and the Government and the authority concerned must have been taken note of these key board warriors but ultimately what counts is what is happening at the ground reality.
This in short has been the reality here in Manipur for more than two weeks now  and the time calls for all to keep their sanity. The tension is obviously high and there are bound to be trouble makers who do nothing except add to the confusion and it is at times like this that one need to look back and acknowledge the goodwill visit paid by members of the Naga Mothers Association a few days back. It was a beautiful gesture, a gesture that stressed on the need for all to maintain their calm. And this is where the rumour mongers and the loose tongues obviously go against such a stand. It is also significant that many Naga civil society organisations such as the United Naga Council have not opened their mouth and it is this dignified silence so far that should be respected. The silence may say many things and one of them could be to convey the message that nothing should be done to throw the inter-community relationship into jeopardy. Like everyone else, The Sangai Express too has been concentrating on the unfolding scenario and so far nothing unwanted has happened from either side and this is something which has been noted. Let the civil society organisations pull up their socks and see what they can do to pull up the rumour mongers and clip their wings for they have the potential to cause much harm in ringing the alarm bell without any basis.