Missing since May 13, 2026 Show they are alive !
|
The question is, are the six abducted Naga men still alive or have they been done to death ? The significance of this poser should be seen against the fact that they were abducted on May 13 and since then it has been silence, other than the ‘lie’ of a statement issued by the Kuki Inpi, Manipur some time back that all the Naga hostages have been set free and they have no idea about the said six men. It is not only the Naga men who have been abducted after three Thadou Church leaders were executed in a clinical ambush on May 13 morning, but also 14 Kuki people. The only difference being that while it is clear that the Kuki hostages are still alive, the fate of the Naga men are unknown. This is what rankles and this is precisely the reason why the call of the Naga civil society organisations have been more vocal. This is also precisely the reason why there was such a hue and cry after the United Naga Council (UNC) came out with its intention that the abducted Kuki people would be set free, only to rescind the decision later in the face of the stiff opposition put up by other Naga civil society organisations. And it is to keep the pressure up that members of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur have embarked on a car rally from Ukhrul district headquarters to Makhan village via Imphal. The tension is high, very high and it is amid this reality that the Government does not seem to know what it is doing. It was on May 25 that four suspects were rounded up and that is all that has been heard from the side of the Government. Does this mean that the arrest was nothing more than a cosmetic attempt to quieten the voice of frustration and anger that was fast gaining traction ? Or is it a case of the Government not in a position to spell out anything as that would jeopardise the progress of the investigation ? If the latter is the case then at least let it be known that investigation is underway and the Government would need more time. Why isn’t this happening ? Indifference of the Government to what is happening all over the place or a ‘policy’ that rests on the false premise that the anger of the people would wear off after some time ? Moreover what is stopping the Kuki organisations from coming out with an honest statement on the fate of the abducted Naga men ? Is it a case of the Kuki CSOs being ‘convinced’ not to spill the beans as the bodies of the abducted Naga men have been too severely mutilated that handing them over in the current state would only inflame more trouble ? Whatever the case may be, this is not helping things in any way. And what is the progress of the search that has been launched by the great Indian security forces ? More particularly why has no one from Leilon Vaiphei village been picked up for some questioning?
If the past, that is after Manipur went up in flames in the evening of May 3, 2023, is any indication then it should not come as too big a surprise if the abducted men are added to the ‘missing list’ with no signs of their mortal remains. And if this comes about, this wouldn’t be the first either. As noted in an earlier commentary in this column, over 30 Meitei persons are still on the list of missing persons, after they fell into the hands of the ‘Kuki militants’ from as early as the evening of May 3, 2023 (at Moreh) and May 6, 2023. An indication that the Government will need to do much more than what they are doing now. It should be more than clear that each passing day, with no signs of the abducted men, will only add to the angst and frustration of the people and this cannot be good for the place. The initiatives taken by the Government under Chief Minister Y Khemchand to bring in a semblance of normalcy is noted and should be encouraged but yet at the same time it is important to convey the message that the Government is also here to deliver justice. And surely not knowing the fate of six men after they were abducted on May 13, with no accountability fixed, can only erode the faith and confidence of the people in the Government. In such a cricumstance, the result is chaos and confusion and to many it would seem that it is the Government scripting such a scenario for chaos to defeat all efforts being made to usher in a semblance of normalcy. This is a point which Imphal can only overlook to its losses and this definitely will not place the Government in any good light.
If the past, that is after Manipur went up in flames in the evening of May 3, 2023, is any indication then it should not come as too big a surprise if the abducted men are added to the ‘missing list’ with no signs of their mortal remains. And if this comes about, this wouldn’t be the first either. As noted in an earlier commentary in this column, over 30 Meitei persons are still on the list of missing persons, after they fell into the hands of the ‘Kuki militants’ from as early as the evening of May 3, 2023 (at Moreh) and May 6, 2023. An indication that the Government will need to do much more than what they are doing now. It should be more than clear that each passing day, with no signs of the abducted men, will only add to the angst and frustration of the people and this cannot be good for the place. The initiatives taken by the Government under Chief Minister Y Khemchand to bring in a semblance of normalcy is noted and should be encouraged but yet at the same time it is important to convey the message that the Government is also here to deliver justice. And surely not knowing the fate of six men after they were abducted on May 13, with no accountability fixed, can only erode the faith and confidence of the people in the Government. In such a cricumstance, the result is chaos and confusion and to many it would seem that it is the Government scripting such a scenario for chaos to defeat all efforts being made to usher in a semblance of normalcy. This is a point which Imphal can only overlook to its losses and this definitely will not place the Government in any good light.