Why not to Dimapur or Guwahati ? Noting people’s sentiments
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A cursory look at the turn of events should be more than indicative. Not all are trained investigators or connected with anything to do with checking criminal activities, but pure common sense says that once news of the abduction of the Naga civilians at Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13 did the round, the Government should have done what is expected of them. Even a green horn would say that the first step the Government should have done is to pick up the village chief of the said village, round up some of the villagers, including some of the womenfolk and subject them to some drilling. Some answers would have then emerged without a doubt, such as with regard to the testimony of the Naga women that they were first accosted, detained by some villagers of Leilon Vaiphei including womenfolk and then handed over to the armed men. This should have served as the starting point of the investigation but instead the information that one receives is of the security personnel combing the jungles and hills ! Now another opportunity presents itself to the Government and that is now to go after the three injured persons who have been admitted to RIMS Hospital from injuries they sustained during a gunfight at the said village between two armed groups of people. At the moment the identity of the groups of gunmen engaged in the gunfight is not clear, but it is more than clear that it was an encounter between two groups of armed people and the shootout occurred at Leilon Vaiphei village. First thing first. If the book is followed, then a case can be registered at Lamphel police station. Once the injured Kuki men recover, they should be taken in for some serious questioning and in the process no efforts should be spared to dig out the truth of the May 13 abduction and if they were involved in any way, then some headway in the case of the dastardly killings of the six Naga hostages can be made. Such a step will go a long way in ushering a sense of justice, in that the Government is doing something concrete to nail all those involved in the abduction and cold blooded massacre of the six Naga men. If not for anything else, then at least the swift gathering of groups of protesters at RIMS, drawn from both the Meitei and Naga communities, should testify that anger is still simmering. The stand of the Army or Assam Rifles in sticking to the stand that the injured must be saved, may fall in line with the call of their duty, but some thoughts ought to have been given to the sentiments of the people too. If the need to give proper medical care to the three injured men was overwhelming then surely they could have been airlifted and taken somewhere else, such as Dimapur or Guwahati. Other patients taking treatment at RIMS could have been saved the smoke from the tear gas fired by the security personnel to disperse the crowd and the ruckus that was created.
Tensions, troubles that could have easily been averted if only some thoughts were applied. Instead what one saw at RIMS on June 15, 2026 was madness and something brought about by an attitude that reeks of the mentality that the sentiments of both the Meiteis and the Nagas can take a walk ! But remember the sentiments come not only from the murder of the six Naga men but also from the manner in which they were killed. Dismembered is too mild a word to describe the horror and torture the six men would have been subjected to and even as the security personnel thought it fit to bring the three injured Kuki men to RIMS, they overlooked the fact that protests against the killings continue unabated all over the State of Manipur. The fact that even Church bodies have joined the chorus of protest should underline how hurt the people feel. The only comfort that the family members and the people of Konsakhul can have is that the mortal remains were returned, something which cannot be said of the 32 missing Meitei people, dating back to as distant as May 3, 2023. And if the mutilated remains of the six Naga men are anything to go by one can only imagine what could have happened to the 32 missing Meitei people. The sadistic pleasure that certain elements draw from and the very public angst demonstrated in front of RIMS should be understood against this harsh reality.
Tensions, troubles that could have easily been averted if only some thoughts were applied. Instead what one saw at RIMS on June 15, 2026 was madness and something brought about by an attitude that reeks of the mentality that the sentiments of both the Meiteis and the Nagas can take a walk ! But remember the sentiments come not only from the murder of the six Naga men but also from the manner in which they were killed. Dismembered is too mild a word to describe the horror and torture the six men would have been subjected to and even as the security personnel thought it fit to bring the three injured Kuki men to RIMS, they overlooked the fact that protests against the killings continue unabated all over the State of Manipur. The fact that even Church bodies have joined the chorus of protest should underline how hurt the people feel. The only comfort that the family members and the people of Konsakhul can have is that the mortal remains were returned, something which cannot be said of the 32 missing Meitei people, dating back to as distant as May 3, 2023. And if the mutilated remains of the six Naga men are anything to go by one can only imagine what could have happened to the 32 missing Meitei people. The sadistic pleasure that certain elements draw from and the very public angst demonstrated in front of RIMS should be understood against this harsh reality.