Playing the victim card will not do The gruesome massacre
|
Playing the victim card and engaging in talks is not exactly what the doctor would prescribe to resolve the conflict situation in Manipur and this is a truism which must be acknowledged by everyone. For starters, it should be agreed that there is something fundamentally different in the manner in which captives are bludgeoned to death and those killed in a conflict. This line must be clear and for any talk to go anywhere near a resolution it must be accepted by all that there is a sea of difference in the killing of the six Naga men and in the deaths that have occurred in encounters or shoot outs. And what makes the case of the six Naga men all that more abhorrent is the fact that while the 14 Kuki men in the custody of the Nagas were released safe and sound, the six Naga men were found bludgeoned to death. It should also not be forgotten that the so called ‘apology’ tendered by the chairman of the Kuki-Zo Council for the killing of the six Naga men was far removed from the universal understanding of an apology. It was reduced to an exercise of name calling and ‘self justification’. In short it was not sincere at all and herein lies the catch. A talk, as propounded by the chairman of the Kuki-Zo Council is welcome, but the talk should be held without baggages. This is the bottomline and the question is whether the KZC and other Kuki organisations are ready to walk the talk without any baggages or not. To many, particularly the Meiteis, the invite to talk, will be taken with more than a pinch of salt for remember the invite has come, even as the economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council is beginning to hit where it hurts, the lack of essential commodities. And when one talks about blockades, no one would have forgotten that the Imphal-Dimapur road has been closed to all Meiteis since May 3, 2023 evening. Add the Nagas now and things should be more clear. It has also been months since the Kukis have blocked the Imphal-Ukhrul road forcing the Nagas of Ukhrul and Kamjong to take a circuitous route to come to Imphal for even the most basic of things. It was not so long back that the Deputy Commissioner of Tamenglong district had to issue a travel advisory for any Naga planning to come to Imphal. Says something significant and it stands that when bodies like the KZC or the KIM or CoTU talk about the UNC sponsored blockade, they should not forget they are also doing the same on other routes. Go back to 2025 and one is instantly reminded of the ‘free movement from March 8,’ call of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and how the attempt to take the Imphal to Senapati route by road had to be aborted. Or has KZC forgotten about this ? Manipur has not. It would also do good for the KZC to remember that the inter-district blockade imposed by the UNC came after KIM called a total shutdown in Kuki areas on May 13. A shutdown in Kuki areas but Manipur knows against whom it was called for it effectively shut the people of Senapati from Imphal.
If any talk is to be held, the lies have to stop. And this obviously should mean that playing the victim card should be discarded. At the moment, the UNC seems determined to continue with the blockade, if its stand announced after a joint meeting with the Nagaland Tribe Hoho Co-ordination Committee, is anything to go by. The details spelt out by the president of the UNC during the meeting at Senapati on July 14 should say so many things and this is something which should be kept in mind even as the KZC has expressed its willingness to talk with the Nagas. More importantly, it should also be kept in mind that the UNC had already laid down a list of demands before the Chief Minister and one wonders whether the KZC would be in the position to address even a single point of the demand raised. Not surprisingly the demands raised include, abrogation of the Suspension of Operation pact with Kuki militants, the arrest of all those involved in the abduction and killing of the six Naga men, the arrest of the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village and most interestingly the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen from her post. Is the KZC authorised to act on any of the demands raised, or will it ‘grovel’ before the UNC to get these demands dropped ? Only time will tell, but it would do well for all to remember that the massacre of the six Naga men is today no longer only a matter concerning the Naga people, but an issue which concerns the whole of Manipur. The series of joint protests staged at Imphal is but just one case.
If any talk is to be held, the lies have to stop. And this obviously should mean that playing the victim card should be discarded. At the moment, the UNC seems determined to continue with the blockade, if its stand announced after a joint meeting with the Nagaland Tribe Hoho Co-ordination Committee, is anything to go by. The details spelt out by the president of the UNC during the meeting at Senapati on July 14 should say so many things and this is something which should be kept in mind even as the KZC has expressed its willingness to talk with the Nagas. More importantly, it should also be kept in mind that the UNC had already laid down a list of demands before the Chief Minister and one wonders whether the KZC would be in the position to address even a single point of the demand raised. Not surprisingly the demands raised include, abrogation of the Suspension of Operation pact with Kuki militants, the arrest of all those involved in the abduction and killing of the six Naga men, the arrest of the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village and most interestingly the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen from her post. Is the KZC authorised to act on any of the demands raised, or will it ‘grovel’ before the UNC to get these demands dropped ? Only time will tell, but it would do well for all to remember that the massacre of the six Naga men is today no longer only a matter concerning the Naga people, but an issue which concerns the whole of Manipur. The series of joint protests staged at Imphal is but just one case.