Face of activism Irom Sharmila faces identity crisis in Manipur

Source: Hindustan Times She may be India’s best-known rights activist with millions of followers across the world but back home in Manipur, Irom Sharmila has no legal identification document. The 44-year-old broke a 16-year fast earlier this month, saying she would fight elections to continue her campaign against a controversial law shielding Army personnel from […]

The post Face of activism Irom Sharmila faces identity crisis in Manipur appeared first on KanglaOnline.

Source: Hindustan Times She may be India’s best-known rights activist with millions of followers across the world but back home in Manipur, Irom Sharmila has no legal identification document. The 44-year-old broke a 16-year fast earlier this month, saying she would fight elections to continue her campaign against a controversial law shielding Army personnel from […]

The post Face of activism Irom Sharmila faces identity crisis in Manipur appeared first on KanglaOnline.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2016/08/face-activism-irom-sharmila-faces-identity-crisis-manipur/

On students and activism in Manipur

Following is a reproduction of an interview of Dr. Malem Ningthouja(MN) by The Northeast Today(TNT).   TNT: You were associated with a number of student organizations of Manipur, which is an

Following is a reproduction of an interview of Dr. Malem Ningthouja(MN) by The Northeast Today(TNT).

Malem Ningthouja

Malem Ningthouja

 

TNT: You were associated with a number of student organizations of Manipur, which is an insurgency-ravaged state. What challenges did you face as a student leader then?

Dr. Malem: Theoretically, neither militarisation nor insurgency is meant to target the students as a category of soft targets. However, there are challenges that a student leader normally faces in a war-field like situation prevalent in Manipur. Those challenges depend on the ideological position that he/ she upholds and the public issue that he / she raises. A student leader that consistently raises democratic voices against State terrorism and destructive projects is a potential target of the State actors. When I was an active student activists, there were consistent threats from the police and the intelligence. There were also threats from some non- state armed groups, whom I suspected to be working in collusion with the State forces.

 

TNT: What role students can play to bring in integration in a conflict region like Northeast?

Dr. Malem: When commodity relation for profit is the predominant value system above all other forms of human relationship; there are tensions for selfish ends and ‘disintegration’ at various levels in the family, relatives, villages or neighbourhood, community, and so on. In this situations, although the students are being metaphorically depicted as a homogenous section, they too suffer from the same tendency of tensions and disintegrations amongst themselves. This does not meant that there cannot be any kind of tactical ‘integrity’ amongst those who share common ideology and interest. In this regards, I believe, there can be utopian idealism to homogenise the heterogeneous fragments into a permanent unity. This is a fantasy and cannot happen in the real world at the wink of an eye. Where to begin with the unity initiative and how to begin it will involve organisational efforts, which will be resented by others who do not uphold the same agenda. However, those who think that they are in the right path in their own design, they may attempt to integrate more numbers on their side. This is the only role that different sections of students may attempt to do, in their own ways for different agenda.

 

TNT: Northeast region has been facing an identity crisis for a long time now. What’s your take on that?

Dr. Malem: Identity crisis or any kind of crisis is not an exception to what is being labelled as the Northeast. Since we are ‘peripheral’ part of India, we are like the limbs or the foot that belong to the lower strata of the Varna social order; that is, the Indian rulers do not intend to place us above them, but they need to ‘tame’ us to be obedient to fulfil their geo-strategic and commercial interests in our land. Our land and resources have been expropriated from us to enrich their profit. We are forced to remain silent under militarisation and draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Powers Act. Since we are being treated in this manner for more than six decades; we have realised that our problem is not created by us. On the contrary, it is they who are placing the onus of their problem on us. In this contradiction between ‘us’ and ‘them’; it is for Delhi, that is, the hub of power and brains, to wisely think and extend the warm hands of friendship to solve the problem without causing unwanted bloodshed and humiliation on us. This will be the first step towards resolving what many have blindly interpreted as identity crises in the Northeast.

 

TNT: What are the issues that students leader can take up in contemporary time?

Dr. Malem: There are couple of issues that require urgent attention. Some of those are: (a) Campaign against violation of human rights by the State actors and non-state criminals; (b) Campaign against drug addiction and for adequate rehabilitation of the addicts; (c) Resistance against population invasion by the outsiders and destructive projects; (d) Resistance against militarisation in the residential areas and places of daily economic activities. (e) Campaign for community economic programmes towards achieving sustainable development and for employment generation; (e) Campaign for expansion of State investment in the medical sector and adequate medical allowances and facilities to the needy persons.

 

TNT:  Do you think that student politics is fading away in the Northeast now?

Dr. Malem: Students are born and brought up in the families, which in turn are the units of a larger society. Anything that affected the society affected the individual and vice versa. In other words, there is an interplay of personal, social and political. Since the rulers behave politically, their actions will be politically either receptive or dissented by different sections; which in totality constitute an overarching political situation, from where an individual can never escape without playing some roles in it.. There are some sayings in Manipuri, “when the house is burning will the student inside it remain reading? When the stomach is hungry and life is threatened will the student affected by it remain reading? Students are the pillar of the society; they must act politically for their future.” To which direction the majority bulk of the students will go is a different issue. Different sections will adopt their own agenda and style of politics. In whatever style or agenda, student politics always persist.

 

**

Questionnaire by Dhiraj Sarma, Senior Editor, Northeast Today.

Responses by Malem Ningthouja, Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur).

Dated July 20, 2015.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/on-students-and-activism-in-manipur/

Part 1: The human rights crisis in Manipur and the north-east: Victimization of women and children

By: Usha Thiyam Context Manipur In the land of NUPI Lal, Meira Peibis (Local women who safeguard the folks), Sharmila and Manorama, it is unbelievable that such horrific crimes as… Read more »

By: Usha Thiyam

Context Manipur

In the land of NUPI Lal, Meira Peibis (Local women who safeguard the folks), Sharmila and Manorama, it is unbelievable that such horrific crimes as mentioned below are committed.

I must confess killing an EMa Meira Peibi member, was a shock to everyone at that time. Then, came more shocking news of more women being killed, more Meira Peibis. Whatever be the reason “XYZ” the reason is not strong enough to take on human lives

Indeed it is a human rights disaster. Dead bodies being recovered in awkward positions, hands tied, legs tied, eyes blindfolded, nude, neck being twisted, body parts being twisted. It is not a thriller or crime series on TV but reality that drastically shot up in 2010 for women and children. The number of dead young men in the last decade “shot for XYZ” reason will never be justified. There is no knowledge of any database – perhaps 100s or 1000s. Perhaps, similar to a country ruled by a dictator or those countries with human rights crisis- similar to Sudan, Darfur ? Obvious reply –research please!. Number of widows in the state continued to rise. Not just widows but those infected with mental diseases too and continued to be exploited. Certainly not in chronological order, but the ghastly crimes that falls in just one state indicates there is the need for a international Alarm on human rights disaster in the state. International authorities should step in unless, more deaths and a civil war is carved out.
First, it was “one” disastrous news that an Ema (member of Meira Peibi) was shot and killed. I must confess killing an EMa Meira Peibi member, was a shock to everyone at that time. Then, came more shocking news of more women being killed, more Meira Peibis. Whatever be the reason “XYZ” the reason is not strong enough to take on human lives. Then, came the news about the series of so called attacks by Assam Rifles personal, and the tragedy of Manorama’s death. The event that there was a nude protest at the gate of the Assam Rifles/Kangla to protest against the prevailing molestation, torture and rape of womenfolk and Manorama’s death became a news shared widely.
Then, came the disastrous news of several “northeast” women being molested and raped in Delhi and the racial discrimination they face there (June-November 2010 news including those @timesofinidaonline.com). I saw quite some comments and reactions by everyone because many family members, relatives commute and work in Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai. So I started to send e-mails, to create a strong organization and put a stop to such crimes.
Then, came the news of women and children being trafficked and molested primarily by foreign aid seeking organizations in Chennai, south India as well as in several organizations. The usual story of a well paid job being promised located abroad- Bankok, China or in the nearby countries was mentioned in the news articles. Amazing to read that child soldiers were being recruited by various militants and the recruiters were being paid well for their jobs.
Then there are cases of vulgar pornographic Korean film clips being sent out to women and children by SMS mobile telephones. The internet without any censorship and more related films and materials, elevated such crimes and torture and violence against women continued.

Recent cases:

In one recent case, the daughter of one person was kidnapped, raped and mercilessly thrown out simply because the demands made to father were not met. Today you have heard this news of a Class-XI girl being raped and killed by strangulation. Post-partum reports are yet to be revealed as to whether the accused is the boyfriend or other men are involved. Even thou, news report suggest the accused is caught by the police, the reality still remains.
Are the police to be trusted or appropriately doing their duties- No comment? In one article news report indicated a women committed suicide because of harassment and teasing by a group of police commandoes. So how far can we trust the police?
In January 2010, a double rape and murder shook Imphal. The killing of Chanbi and her teenage daughter Menaka at Phayeng (Manipur) who were called out from their home in the evening by two men on the pretext of discussing something. Till date, even thou it might not have been too difficult of a task, who called them out that evening is not solved. While several organizations strongly condemned state government’s inaction in delivering justice to this double rape and murder case, no one has been booked for the double murder. She was a widow and left behind 3 small children.
On december 13, 2010 the nude dead body of an unidentified woman believed to be in her forties was found amongst ricestraw at a paddy field near Yaiphakol village, about 2 kms from Khuga dam. Entirely nude mercilessly killed, and blood seeping from her nose and mouth. Sources in the police said, they suspect she was done to death a night before.
The news media stated that there were no visible foot-prints available in the area surrounding the body, nor was there any trace of her clothing or any other substantial evidences. Again, the question here is what the forensics is doing here in this case, around the paddy field or near the dead body – in what way the autopsy helped here?. This was the second instance in three weeks wherein the dead body of a woman entirely in nude was discovered in the district. The lifeless body of a fifty-year old woman cashier with the DRDA was discovered nude stacked behind wooden pieces beneath her own residence on Nov 25. Authorities, according to news sources, detained her husband allegedly on suspicion over the murder.
Not only this, several murders took place, a mentally handicapped woman was found raped in her shop in the night.

Apex civil society organizations for women extended their support in many ways, agitation, Joint action Committees (JACs). But the outcome and agitation launched in connection with the incidents above did not change the trend and it continues to rise. Perhaps it is aging of armed persons- who knows that they cannot be caught striking again and again. Time to Wake up Manipur-! For the number of women murdered, there should be few days of demonstration and a statewide stir and shake up massive protest rally.

Few days back, news came out that millitants groups would buy properties in Guwahati and many other places in India in the name of their wives. The question is is the wife’s name being exploited, taken for granted or is this mere exploitation.

Questions:

The role of media in showing the dead bodies, delivering the news and the psychological impact it might have is largely ignored.
For state-of-art facilities of post partum, perhaps, time is to ask what kind of facility do we have ?
How many JACs are formed until date for how many unlawful deaths?
Internet/film censorship – where are we with this?
By no drastic steps steps being taken to book the killers of such ghastly crimes of rape/murders the number of killers is on the rise.

Role of government and police authority and why they will not resign- still a question at large ?

I would like to tribute this article to late Prof. Naorem Sanajoaba, noted human rights activist and intellect who was my aunts’ husband.

 

References:  kanglaonline, e-pao, sangai express, timesofindia, telegraphindia – Online Articles

Usha Thiyam is a Social Activist Based in Germany
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Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/the-human-rights-crisis-in-manipur-and-the-north-east-victimization-of-women-and-children/

PRESS RELEASE – “ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN PEACE PROCESS”

Over the years North East as a whole and Assam in particular has seen a lot in terms of violence and bloodshed. From armed struggle to ethnic clashes Assam has… Read more »

Over the years North East as a whole and Assam in particular has seen a lot in terms of violence and bloodshed. From armed struggle to ethnic clashes Assam has reeled under unprecedented violence. Armed revolutionaries and Government have an equal share in making Assam prone to such bloodshed every now and then keeping the common masses at the receiving end. If the armed organizations have spilled blood in the name of revolution and sovereignty, the government has got its license to kill in the name of bringing peace. The lawmakers have become the lawbreakers and the so called “rescuers” have also turned a blind eye towards all the misdoings. From clashes in between the ethnic communities to vague killings in the name of revolution has long been a problem of Assam.press
Simultaneously, the state has seen a mushrooming growth of civil organizations that have pledged to bring in peace in the state. The state has seen many civil organizations that have given loud slogans about peace and decried the violence. Such organizations have also tried its best in bringing both the armed organizations and the government to the negotiating table. But has it reaped the fruit that the entire state was expecting? Are the civil organizations serving its purpose? If yes, – then why the violence has not ended? If no, – then where are the loopholes? It’s high time the civil organizations should come together under one platform to resolve the issue. It’s time to sit and discuss together than working for the cause of society as satellites.
And Peoples’ Alliance for Peace Accordance (PAPA) has set the examples by bringing most of the civil, student, social organizations, political parties, intellectuals and individuals together under one platform for the cause of peace. So far PAPA is the only civil organization that has been largely successful in being the messiah of peace.
Center of Media and Research for Indigenous People (CMRIP) took up this endeavor of bringing the civil organizations together and have a brainstorming session over the theme of “ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN PEACE PROCESS” as the year 2010 has been very eventful in terms of peace process and 2011 also promises to continue with the ongoing trend.

Objectives of the Seminar
The overall objective of the seminar was to motivate the civil society to understand their potential role in conflict mediation and peace building in Assam. Specific objectives of the seminar were to:
• Discuss the role of civil society in peace process in Assam;
• Review the steps to be taken to help restore peace in the state; and
• Judge the role of civil society in peace process.
The Seminar
The seminar was organized by Centre of Media & Research for Indigenous People [CMRIP]. The distinguished scholars and resource persons who participated in the seminar were members of various civil societies, representatives of academic institutions, media persons, activists, NGOs, etc.
The seminar on “Role of Civil Society in Peace Process” opened at 11:30 AM on February 26, 2011 at the Guwahati Town Club. The various dignitaries that adorned the dais during the seminar are: renowned journalist and civil activist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Anjali Daimary Convener of Bodo National Conference (BNC), Elwin Teron Gen. Secretary of People Alliance for Peace Agreement (PAPA), Gautam Saharia Vice-President All Koch-Rajbongshi Student Union (AKRSU), Bohim Chandra Langthasa former President of Gedike Nisoh Hosom (Dimasa Apex Body) and renowned singer and cultural activist Loknath Goswami.
The seminar was attended by Karbi Human Rights Watch, representatives of All Bodo Students’ Union, Greater Guwahati Karbi Students’ Union, All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union, Bodo Women Justice Forum, Karbi Welfare Society, representatives from CPI-ML, United Peoples’ Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and distinguished individuals from all walks of the society.
The seminar started with the speech by the special guest during the occasion Mr. Garvin Brown, a true follower of Gandhian Ideologies from Queensland, Australia who highlighted Gandhian Ideologies and the need for peace in today’s world.
This was followed by the speech of the Gen. Secy. Of Center of Media & Research for Indigenous People (CMRIP), Sandeep Chatterjee. He pointed out during his speech the need for a dialogue between the communities to have a unified representation for peace in Assam. He also mentioned the importance of civil society actors in moulding a unified society in the larger interest of the people. Lastly, he urged all the civil society individuals and organizations to take up similar initiative to uphold sustainable peace for generations to come.
Ajit Kr. Bhuyan in his speech mentioned that the idea of peace has not been tackled in a wholesome manner. He also pointed out that peace for one may not be sufficient for others. He also stated that peace is not meant for the political parties who have been using this term for their electoral advantage. Deepening of democracy at the grass-root level and a non-autocratic stand by the civil society actors is the need of the hour. He further went on to applaud the initiative taken up by CMRIP in this regard and hoped for more such initiatives in future.
Anjali Daimary in her speech mentioned the importance of talks between the various ethnic groups to come to an acceptable solution to the impending issues. However, she was of the opinion that such a process should come through mutual respect and dignity among the communities. She also praised CMRIP’s initiative for arranging a platform for such interaction between the communities and also stated that civil society should struggle for building up favourable conditions for the same.
Mr. Bohim Chandra Langthasa stated that the time for a dialogue has come and hence such initiatives taken up by individual bodies like CMRIP are worth complimenting. He also stressed about the need to take the peace struggle to the next step by amassing public support and bringing together the divided communities of Assam.
Elwin Teron from PAPA shared his experience of 11 years of negotiation with the officials of Govt. of India. He stressed on understanding building measures between the communities is the need of the hour. He further went on to say that instead of a divided and fragmented representation in New Delhi, the civil society bodies should rather give a unified picture of Assam. He also languished that the govt. representatives in New Delhi are not suitable to provide a solution to the problems of Assam. He mentioned that the civil society actors and responsible individuals will have to take up the matter of finding peace that grows itself with harmony rather than chasing for peace that is being dictated by a third party. He also praised CMRIP in its commendable initiative to bring the different communities together and providing a platform to them to have a broader understanding of their differences thereby, minimizing conflicts.
Gautam Saharia urged the civil society actors to give a concrete and clear picture of the peace they are struggling for otherwise they would be compelled to reject the civil societies and intellectuals. He also mentioned that each community then has no other alternative but to follow their own path of struggle. However, in the interest of a common voice from this region from assam he calls forward for the formation of joint platforms in a bigger scale similar the one CMRIP has provided today.
As the last speaker Loknath Goswami hummed some lines of his renowned songs and pointed out the importance of maintaining the bonds of brotherhood between the communities of Northeast. He also was of the opinion that CMRIP has taken this initiative in a positive direction by bring the communities together and opening up the channels of ethnic and community bonding. He also pointed out that if equal status and equal space are provided to the communities there would be no separation and fragmentation in the society.

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