Manipur Erupts in Anger

Imphal, Nov 21 : Various student bodies and civil organizations are seething in anger over the killing of a Manipur student in the national capital and the attack on a state student in Bangalore.

Victim Zimram Kengo, a PhD scholar at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, was found murdered with his throat slit inside his rented room at Kotla Mubarakpur in South Delhi on Wednesday night. He hailed from the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district.

"This is not the first case of racial attacks on people from the northeast reported in mainland India, particularly New Delhi. We condemn such killings," Seth Shatsang, president of the All Naga Students' Association, Manipur (ANSAM) said. "How many bodies should be brought to Manipur from mainland India to wake up the state government?" said Seth Satsang. The culprits should be awarded befitting punishment following the law of the land, he said, while urging the Centre to take stringent measures to ensure such racial attacks on the NE people are stopped at once. "It is time, rather it's too late, for the state government to press the Centre to take steps for curbing such shameful crimes, he added.

In Bangalore, a 22-year old student from Manipur suffered head injuries when he was attacked by three men here on Wednesday night. Samuel, who is admitted to a hospital, said the assailants attacked him as they found his physical features different from them. Samuel, on his way home, was teased by three strangers. Ignoring the men, he moved ahead but they came from behind and attacked him.

Various other civil society groups joined voices to urge the Centre for framing a specific policy to end racial discrimination against NE people in different cities. Wednesday's incident came barely four months after miscreants thrashed to death a 30-year-old Shaloni from Tungjoy village in Manipur's Senapati district.

Portal Route To Track Children

By Ngangbam Indrakanta Singh

Imphal, Nov 18 : The Manipur Alliance for Child Rights today demanded that the state government take the help of a portal launched by the Centre to track children gone missing from the state.

Trackthemissingchild.gov.in is the portal launched by the Union woman and child development ministry to serve as a central database of children who have gone missing in different parts of the country.

The ministry on September 18, 2012, launched a web portal to co-ordinate among child homes, police departments and state governments.

The organisation presented statistics of various crimes against children in the past two years. The data showed that 42 children were sexually assaulted, 86 were victims of child trafficking — of them 11 are still untraceable, 46 were victims of bomb blasts, kidnapping, molestation, assault, gun attack, 27 died in different incidents, including rape and communal clashes.

From 2009 till now, the organisation has covered 38 villages of four districts — Chandel, Ukhrul, Bishnupur and Churchandpur — in its survey.

Keisham Pradeep Kumar, convener of the organisation, said, “The number of children who had left the villages is 362, of whom 79 were found outside the state and the rest inside. Of 362 children, 353 were trafficked in the name of studies and nine through promise of jobs, as stated by the family members.”

Montu Ahanthem, the co-convener, said, “This is data collected from just four of the nine districts. From this data, we observe an alarming rise in child trafficking. We are asking the government to introduce ‘track child’ portal in the nearest future.”

The NGO blamed the government for child trafficking as funds for Right of the Children to Free and Compulsory Education are not utilised properly. In another news conference today at the press club, a joint action committee against the rape of a 13-year-old at Koirengei in Imphal West in April demanded punishment of the guilty.

Relic Hunters To Search for WWII Aircraft Wrecks in Manipur

New Delhi, Oct 13 : A search team is set to salvage the wrecks of Japanese and British military aircraft which crashed in a north-eastern Indian lake during fierce fighting in the Second World War.

Two Japanese fighter aircraft and a British bomber plane sank in 1944 in Loktak lake in the state of Manipur, home to one of the heaviest but largely unknown battles of the war.

The exact location of the wrecks had been uncertain for decades.

It was recently discovered after a war foundation in the Manipur’s capital Imphal studied official records of the fighting.

“We have been gathering information about the crash from locals and eyewitnesses for about a year. We are ready for the real expedition now,” said the campaign’s co-founder, Yumnam Rajeshwor Singh, on Wednesday.

“We have been doing excavations like this for a long time. It is our passion and hobby.”

The two Japanese planes, known as Oscar, were shot down by British forces on June 17, 1944 but later on the same day, one of their own bomber jets called Wellington crashed too.

A team of 50, led by 10 researchers, will begin excavating “as soon as possible” by going to the middle of the lake that spreads across 285 square kilometres and using GPS and underwater equipment.

Mr Singh said that, according to witness accounts, residents of the area had sold off the planes’ wings, tails and lighter aluminium chunks as scrap metal soon after the crash, leaving behind the heavy parts, including the 600-kilogram engines.

He plans to place the rusty wreckage on display in his foundation’s war museum.

A quiet pocket of British India until then, Manipur was the scene of devastating fighting in the Battle of Imphal from March to July 1944 when the Japanese advanced westward after they captured Burma, backed by a rebel Indian force.

Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed in the fighting, with the Allied victory a major turning point in the Asia campaign that was voted as Britain’s greatest battle by the National Army Museum of London in last year.

In 1942, Japanese forces routed the British in Burma, now Myanmar, which brought them to India’s eastern border from where the attack was launched.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, around 100 British and American aircraft wrecks are believed to be scattered across the jungles of India, Thailand and Malaysia, along with the remains of their crews.

Educational Institutions To Reopen in Manipur

Imphal, Sep 15 : The Manipur government has decided to reopen all educational institutions from Monday following an agreement with the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS).

This decision was taken yesterday after the JCILPS agreed in a meeting with the government to lift the "indefinite public curfew", imposed since September 11 by students wing of the Committee to press implementation of inner line permit system in Manipur, an official release said.

Educational institutions were closed in the state since September 11 following the "indefinite public curfew" launched by JCILPS.

The Manipur government to reopen all educational institutions on an agreement with the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System.

During the meeting between Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and representatives of JCILPS last night, the government also agreed to release all the arrested members of the JCILPS including women volunteers.

A spokesperson of the JCILPS said if the government failed to release the arrested persons including top JCILPS members without any condition till September 19, the committee would reimpose "public curfew" which restricted movement of non-Manipuris particularly migrant labourers who do not have valid documents.

JCILPS, supported by various social organisations and students bodies, launched the agitation for implementation of the inner line permit system in the state because the number of outsiders including migrant labourers had "outnumbered the tribal population in the state", the spokesperson said.

As a precautionary measures, more than 150 non-Manipuris particularly labourers in Imphal west, Imphal east and Bishenpur districts were being kept at Dharamsala relief camp.

A Tale of Two Strikes: Manipur in Freeze Frame

By Alok Pandey

Strike shuts down Manipur capital Imphal

Imphal:  Two parallel strikes have shut down the northeastern state of Manipur.

Various student groups have launched a protest to push for their demand that all from outside the state be allowed entry only with permits. All schools and colleges have been shut indefinitely as the protesters are mostly students and the government fears violence.

The state has been virtually crippled by a highway blockade called by the United Naga Council after the recent death of two Naga activists. Fuel is in short supply and over 300 trucks are stranded on both the highways that lead to state capital Imphal.

The Naga council has decided to end the blockade today, as the state is confronting another emerging crisis.

In the last two days, a dozen people, including students, have been detained by the Manipur police after clashes. On Tuesday, the police had to step in when one group allegedly assaulted a non-Manipuri when he could not produce identification papers that they demanded. The group allegedly also turned on those who tried to stop them, including a young man who is now in hospital.

The groups called a strike yesterday demanding the suspension of the police officer who detained students.

The protesters want "Inner Line Permit Restrictions" across the state to prevent what they believe is a large inrush of outsiders. This means that they want "non-locals" - both Indians and foreigners - to be allowed into Manipur only with a state permit.

The rule is in place in Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Last year, there was an agitation in Meghalaya for it.

In Manipur, groups have been demanding it for over a year now, and their protests have often turned violent.

Day 5 of Manipur Blockade: Government Climbs Down, Protestors Defiant

By Alok Pandey

Imphal, Sep 11 :  Five days after the United Naga Council imposed a highway blockade in Manipur, the state government has withdrawn prohibitory orders imposed under section 144 in the town of Ukhrul.

But the United Naga Council, which had imposed the boycott, is not in a re-conciliatory mood and has demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi should intervene in the situation.

The prohibitory orders, which have been in force for more than two months, were imposed after a member of the Ukhrul autonomous district council Ngalangzar Malue was killed by unidentified people.

Various Naga organisations protested against the order which prohibits more than 4 people assembling in a public place.

On August 31, two protestors of the United Naga Council were killed and several injured when police allegedly opened fire on a sec 144 protest rally held in Ukhrul.

The United Naga Council than imposed an indefinite blockade of all highways in Naga inhabited areas in Manipur from September 4.

Even though the state government has now backed down, the United Naga Council has said it will not back down till the Prime Minister directly intervenes.

In the meantime, 300 trucks carrying essential supplies like LPG and Fuel were brought in to the Imphal under heavy police escort on Sunday evening .

This was done via the alternative Jiribam - Imphal highway, that leads to the state capital.

The main highway into Imphal , the Guwahati - Dimapur - Kohima - Imphal road, continues to remain blocked

Despite the trucks reaching Imphal, petrol is not available at pumps while diesel is still being rationed . Rice, pulses and vegetables are however available in the city.

Ukhrul Ambush: Commando Killed

By Khelen Thokchom
Imphal, Sept. 9: The Manipur government’s move to offer an olive branch to sponsors of the indefinite bandh in Naga-inhabited areas by withdrawing additional security forces from Ukhrul town took a hit this morning when suspected NSCN (Isak-Muivah) militants sprung twin ambushes in Ukhrul district, leaving one police commando dead and two injured.

The deceased was identified as Haoreiyo. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to Imphal while the other two personnel, Khumukcham Amuthoi, 33, and Naminthang Namsong, 27, were admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here. Amuthoi’s condition is said to be serious. All the three are constables.

The security personnel were returning from Ukhrul town, 65km northeast of Imphal, following orders issued last evening by the state government on the suggestion of Union home minister Rajnath Singh to create a conducive situation that could lead to lifting of the six-day-old bandh called by the United Naga Council (UNC).

Though no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, police suspect the hand of the NSCN (I-M) because the sites of the ambushes are stronghold of the group, which is in ceasefire and talks with the government. The truce is not applicable to Manipur, but both the central and state forces avoid action against the outfit in view of the ongoing peace talks between the group and Centre.

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and deputy chief minister Gaikhangam, who is also the home minister, briefed governor V.K. Duggal on the law and order situation in the wake of today’s ambush. Before meeting the governor, Gaikhangam reviewed the situation in Ukhrul with Congress legislators elected from the district.

Police said militants, lying in wait on hilltops ambushed the two convoys almost simultaneously at 9.30am at Mahadeva, 20km from Imphal, and Hundung, 40km from Imhal, on the Imphal-Ukhrul road. The first convoy to come under attack at Mahadeva was a team of police commandos sent from Imphal to Ukhrul as road-opening patrol for the convoy returning from Ukhrul. The commandos returned fire and the exchange lasted for about 10 minutes.

As the exchange of fire was on, another group of militants sprung an ambush on a combined team of police commandos and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel returning from Ukhrul at Hundung, about 20km east of Mahadeva. Haoreiyo was injured in the second ambush.

The combined team of commandos and IRB numbering about 500 was being led by deputy inspector-general (Range-1) Bilchandra Sharma and was on its way to Imphal.

These forces had been deployed after the killing of Ukhrul Autonomous District Council member Ngalangzar Malue, 65, by suspected NSCN (I-M) cadres in Ukhrul on July 12. The UNC, apex body of the Nagas, called an indefinite bandh in the Naga areas from Thursday demanding withdrawal of the state forces and prohibitory orders.

The bandh has affected supplies of essential commodities to Manipur as the two key highways connecting the state to the outside world pass through the Naga-inhabited areas.

Though both security forces and the prohibitory orders were withdrawn, the UNC was yet to take a decision on calling off its bandh.

The government has not decided whether to do a rethink on the pullout after today’s twin ambushes. The chief minister is expected to review the situation with security agencies before taking any decision.

Official sources said the government was prepared to take up the issue of NSCN (I-M)’s activities in Manipur with the Centre for possible flush-out operations.

Intelligence sources said cadres of the outfit were operating in the district in the absence of any ceasefire.

Sources said though the army, Assam Rifles and state forces carried out operations from time to time against other militant groups numbering more than 30, they were avoiding action against the NSCN (I-M) lest the talks are jeopardised.

Manipur govt had pulled out forces after centre’s nudge

April 9, 2014: Suspected NSCN-IM cadres ambush Deputy Speaker M.K. Presho Shimray in Ukhrul on voting day for Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency. Shimray escapes unhurt

July 12, 2014: Suspected NSCN-IM militants ambush Ukhrul Autonomous District Council member Ngalangzar Malue, killing him on the spot

Nov. 13, 2011: Suspected NSCN-IM cadres ambush education minister D.D. Thaisii in Senapati district. He escapes unhurt

April. 15, 2011: Suspected NSCN-IM rebels ambush Independent MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing in Ukhrul. Six Manipur Rifles personnel escorting the MLA and a driver killed on
the spot

Naga Blockade: Rajnath Singh Assures Assistance to Manipur

By Iboyaima Laithangbam

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has instructed Governor Vinod Kumar Duggal, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Home Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei to take up firm and effective steps to counteract the indefinite economic blockade called by the United Naga Council (UNC) against Manipur from Thursday morning.

This is in protest against the gunning down of two tribals in Ukhrul district on August 29 while dispersing a procession. 20 others were sustained injuries. After from blocking the movement of vehicles, the Nagas shall obstruct all national projects like the constructions of the rail lines, hydroelectric projects and installation of high tension transmission lines.

Briefing reporters on Wednesday shortly after the arrival of Mr. Duggal, Mr. Singh and Mr. Gangmei in Imphal from Delhi, Okendra Moirangthem, the government spokesperson said that the Union Home Minister was briefed on the happenings in the district leading to the killings of two persons. After listening to the verbal report, the Union Home Minister had instructed them to protect life and property of the people. He promised all assistances from the union government in ensuring uninterrupted supply of fuel, consumer items and others. They were also directed to beef up security measures so that construction works of the national projects are not disturbed.

Minister Moirangthem said that armed paramilitary personnel will escort the trucks and buses along the two national highways which are the lifelines of this landlocked mountain state to ensure that all sorts of commodities arrive at Imphal.

Following the gunning down of Ngarlarzar Malue, a member of the autonomous district council of Ukhrul district on July 12 allegedly by the NSCN(IM) cadres, the district has been under siege with the arrival of police and paramilitary forces. Prohibitory orders were also clamped. There have been demands to withdraw the additional forces and lift the prohibitory orders.

On August 29, the UNC organised a procession to demand the withdrawal of the state forces and lifting the prohibitory orders. Police intervened and during the clashes two persons were killed and 20 others were wounded. The government had offered Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the dead persons and said that it would foot the medical bills for the injured ones. However the UNC sponsored meeting said that the ex-gratia would be spurned.

In the past, the Manipur government could not ensure unfettered transportation of goods to the state since there was no back up from the centre. Now that the Union Home Minister has assured all assistances, the state government may ensure uninterrupted supply. Fuel is in short supply and the government is rationing it from Wednesday.

Prices of Essentials Shoot Up As UNC Imposes Indefinite Blockade From Sep 4

Imphal, Sep 3 : The United Naga Council (UNC) has decided to impose indefinite blockade in Manipur and the national highways from 6 am of September 4 to protest the killing of two persons at Ukhrul district. It has also decided to ban all national projects in Naga dominated areas of Manipur.

During a rally on August 30 at Ukhrul two persons died in police firing and the last rites were performed yesterday at Ukhrul district.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has announced Rs 5 lakhs ex gratia for the two victims and reimbursement of the treatment of those injured. The blockade is likely to continue until the Union government intervenes and negotiates. People of Manipur went on panic buying after hearing the news of the blockade.

The traders have also suddenly hiked prices of essential commodities. Price of potato reached Rs 40 per kg, onion Rs 45, rice Rs 40 (superfine). Most of the oil depots did not supply petroleum products. Long queues were seen in front of the oil depot which were opened.

The state had yet to experience normalcy due to the stopping of vehicles coming to Manipur due to the crisis in Assam and Nagaland border. Transporters' union had also urged the state government to arrange supply of goods through Imphal Jiribam highway sector as vehicles were often hijacked and drivers kidnapped at Nagaland areas.

Manipur residents often demand complete stoppage of stir on national highways as the state is landlocked and only two highways connect it to the rest of the world.

Besides people are scared of United Naga Council related blockade as it has a track record of imposing blockade for months resulting in unprecedented crisis in the state.

UNC Plans agitation over deaths in police Crackdown

By Iboyaima Laithangbam

Imphal, Sep 2 : The dead bodies of two Tangkhuls who were killed in a police crackdown in Ukhrul district on Saturday were eventually buried at Tangkhul Nagalong ground on Monday after a mass condolence meeting there. It was attended by thousands of persons of the district and representatives from other Naga areas.

Meanwhile, a ban on all national projects in the state and vehicular movements was also announced. Besides, the meeting resolved not to accept Rs 5 lakh exgratia announced to each of the families.

A day long meeting was held at Tangkhul Nagalong ground at the district headquarters with the dead bodies kept there. L. Adani, the president of United Naga Council which has been spearheading agitations demanding alternative arrangements for the Nagas in Manipur said that all national projects in the state will be banned. Besides, no movement of vehicles shall be allowed in the Naga areas with effect from 6 a.m. on September 4. The bans shall continue till the union government intervenes to find out an amicable solution.

During the condolence meeting, it was resolved that the exgratia announced by the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Sunday in Imphal shall not be accepted. Both the victims were declared as martyrs. Both of them hailed from Tuinem village about 22 km away from the district headquarters. They were married and both the wives are at advanced stage of pregnancy.

Indications are that if there is no positive response from the government, indefinite economic blockade may be imposed against Manipur.

12-hr Naga Bandh Peaceful in Manipur

By NGANGBAM INDRAKANTA SINGH


Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and deputy chief minister Gaikhangam (left) visit the injured in Imphal on Sunday. Picture by UB Photos

Imphal, Sep 1: The 12-hour strike called by the All Naga Students’ Union, Manipur across Naga-inhabited areas of the state since last evening against the killing of two protesters in police firing at Ukhrul yesterday passed off peacefully.

The Manipur government announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the victims.

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who declared the ex gratia, also assured financial help to those injured in the police action and were undergoing treatment.

The chief minister, who visited the injured at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences this morning, said maintaining law and order was imperative to protect the lives and property of the people.

“Deployment of security forces and imposition of prohibitory orders are not to harass people. The security personnel deployed at Ukhrul have been instructed to ensure that such unfortunate incidents are not repeated. We are waiting for the post-mortem report to institute any inquiry into the incident,” he said.

The chief minister was accompanied by deputy chief minister and home minister Gaikhangam, Deputy Speaker Preshaw Shimray and health minister Phunjathang Tonsing.

Police resorted to firing after protesters at a rally allegedly turned violent and set two vehicles carrying police personnel on fire.

The rally was organised to protest against the deployment of security forces in the Naga-inahbited areas, particularly in Ukhrul district, by the state government “in utter disrespect of the Indo-Naga ceasefire”, state government’s “disrespect for the tripartite talks” between the Centre, state government and the United Naga Council on an alternative administrative arrangement, “which has progressed to a logical stage” and the state government’s policies that encroached upon the ancestral lands of the Nagas and other indigenous communities.

The victims were identified as Ramkashing Vashi and Mayopam Ramraor, both from Teinem village.

The situation in Ukhrul today remained tense and highly volatile.

The district administration has requisitioned army and Assam Rifles, which kept a tight vigil.

The UNC has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minster Narendra Modi asking for urgent intervention of the Centre on the situation of the Nagas in Manipur.

The memorandum stated that the state government was making all efforts to destabilise the Indo-Naga ceasefire through militarisation of Naga areas on the pretext of law and order and thereby prevent early settlement of the decades-old Indo-Naga issue.

The council has called upon the Naga people to be prepared for any eventuality.

Manipur Governor V K Duggal Resigns, 9th Gov To Go After NDA Came To Power

New Delhi, Aug 29 : Asked whether he was asked to quit, 69-year-old Duggal said "I have resigned on my own accord".

Vinod Kumar Duggal on Thursday night resigned as Manipur Governor becoming the ninth governor appointed by the UPA regime to quit since the NDA Government came to power in May this year.

Duggal, who holds additional charge of Mizoram as well, arrived in Delhi and called on President Pranab Mukherjee where he handed over the resignation.

“I have submitted my resignation to the President,” Duggal, a former Union Home Secretary, said.
Asked whether he was asked to quit, 69-year-old Duggal, who became the Governor of the Northeastern state on December 31 last, said “I have resigned on my own accord”.

Duggal, who served as Home Secretary from 2005 to 2007, is the second Governor to have put in his papers this week.

Earlier, Sheila Dikshit resigned as Governor of Kerala on August 26.

With this, Duggal, as IAS officer of 1968 batch, becomes the ninth Governor to have resigned since the Narendra Modi government came to power on May 26.

Five UPA-appointed Governors — M K Narayanan (West Bengal), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland), B L Joshi (UP), B V Wanchoo (Goa) and Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), have already resigned after being nudged by the NDA government.

V Purushothaman, the Governor of Mizoram, had resigned after he was transferred to Nagaland in July this year while Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan tendered his resignation on August 24 after he was shifted to Mizoram.

After the new Government assumed office, two Governors including 87-year-old Kamla Beniwal, who had a running battle with Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister when she was governor of the western state, were sacked.

Lt Governor of Puducherry Virendra Kataria, a former Congress leader, was also sacked.

Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi has challenged Centre’s moves to ease him out of office, bringing the controversy over removal of UPA-appointed Governors under judicial lens.

Manipur — The Land of 1,000 Dances

By Sharon Lowen

Sankirtana in Manipur; Khamba Thoibi dance in Lai Haroba

Amazing may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of Manipuri. For many, the iconic floating costumes of the Ras-Leela, arms waving over bobbing skirts, are both a charming image and the beginning and end of what is known about this amazing classical dance tradition of India; or rather traditions, as Manipuri dance actually comprises not one but five forms of dance with Ras-Leela simply being the best known outside of the state.

My entre to discovering the incredible depth and richness of this lesser known performing art of northeast India began with a 2x2 inch notice on a University of Michigan dance board announcing the availability of Manipuri Dance classes at the local community centre. That was in 1969 and I had never seen a Manipuri dance performance live or on film, only photographs in dance books and I knew that it was one of the four dance genres recognised as classical at the time of India’s Independence. My first teacher, Minati Basu Roy, a senior disciple of Guru Atomba Singh whom Tagore brought to Santineketan in the 1920s, inspired my desire to come to India to learn more of this lyrical form. I was fortunate to realise this dream through seven years of training under Guru Singhajit Singh and in Manipur studying Maibi jagoi with Ranjani Maibi and Kumar Maibi, Kartal Cholom with guru Thongjan Chaoba Singh and classical Ras-Leela jagoi at the JNU Manipur Akademi.

Manipuri remains surprisingly misunderstood even by dance cognizati, writers and artists of other genres, let alone the general public today. The satvik, internalised abhinaya for which others value as the aim of their art, is the core of the Ras tradition; yet there are those from other traditions who believe that there is no abhinaya in Manipuri. There are five principal Ras dances; of which four are linked with specific seasons, while the fifth can be presented at any time of the year. While outside of Manipur we see small slices of a Ras on the stage, at home the emotional and spiritual import is huge. Every parent would love to be able to afford to co-sponsor a performance as their child would be trained to become Krishna or Radha for the event. Viewers will lie prostrate before the child, as they are the deity for the time being with professionals dancing as Gopis. Every traditional home has a large open space for such performances, which are performed in the round for the community. During the Bhangi Pareng, a pure dance piece of intricate rhythms and patterns, no one in the audience can leave, as this is sacred. You have to get your cup of tea earlier or wait till it’s over!

Besides a few folk dances, Manipuri dances are devotional in a society that is deeply religious. Manipuri dance is sustained by its society; it is still part of religion, an unbroken religious practice, rather than a revival or reconstruction or neo-classical tradition. Because of this, artists from Manipur are reluctant to come out for more than brief tours and few have been willing to live in other regions of India to foster understanding of their art.

It is truly amazing that all forms of Manipuri, or Meitei, dance play a vital living role in day-to- day culture. Despite Herculean efforts by some dancers to recreate this sense of vitality in other parts of India, with greatest continuity in Kerala, it is only in Manipur where dancers work fulltime, performing as an essential part of life celebrations. Besides Ras and the other leelas, the other main dance forms of Manipur are Lai Haroba or Entertainment of the Gods and Sankirtana.

Each stage in one’s life is celebrated with Sankirtana performances — childbirth, upanayanam, marriage and shradha are all occasions for singing and dancing in Manipur. The Sankirtana of Manipur is unique as dance was added to Vaishnava singing of Sankirtana when it was added to the Hindu and Pre-Hindu spiritual dance traditions of Manipur through Bengali missionaries from the 15th century onward. What we see outside of Manipur on stage are the spectacular dancing musicians spinning in the air while playing the Manipuri pung mardala, or the drums of Holi, turbans flying off, after dancing and playing a very few of their 90 rhythmic cycles. Pung cholom borrows elements from the Manipuri martial arts Thang Ta and Sarit Sarak and also from the traditional Maibi jagoi dance. Although Pung Cholom is traditionally performed by men, there are women’s groups that are booked solid throughout the year as part of life cycle events!

The magnificent Pung Cholom performances, impressive as they are, in Manipur are most often seen as part of the Nupa Pala, or Kartal Cholom, which encompasses passionate bhakti singing and dancing with heavy brass cymbals by a circle of dancer-musicians accompanied by a couple of Pung Cholom artists. The Nupa Pala acts as a prologue to the Ras Leela dances, besides an independent performance too, in connection with religious rites. Before the Sankirtana Cholom, artists lead a bridegroom from his home to that of the bride and a messenger from the wedding site at the bride’s home arrives to announce, “We still have the bride, do you still have the groom?” as tradition accepts elopement if either takes off before the planned marriage. It is quite a cacophony when the groom arrives with the Sankirtana music to compete with the brass band playing at the wedding venue! Even more amazing than the fact that dance plays an essential role in daily life in Manipur is that everyone dances! It is the norm to dance and during the festival of Lai-Haroba, the dance of the shamanistic Maibi spiritual mediums will be preceded by community dancing. In a long line dance one sees women from grandmothers to small girls performing a subtle and sophisticated dance that, along with the Maibi dances, was the base for creating the classical Ras. As part of this pre-Hindu annual ritual festival, teenagers from each neighborhood of the many festivals in honor of the 360 Umanglai ancestor deities of the Manipur valley compete as teams with new choreography of the lasya and tandav dance technique to depict the story of Khamba and princess Thoibi, the hero and heroine of a legendary Moirang romance.

The Maibi dances of the Lai Haroba are essential for the preservation of the world, or at least the world of Manipur! It is remarkable that this pre-Hindu tradition has not diminished with the advent of Vaishnavism, which coexists comfortably side-by-side. Maibis are both women, and men dressed as women, who evidence signs of being a Maibi, often as teenagers who have seizures that are not explained as epilepsy by modern science and are then turned over to Maibi gurus who train them in the ritual dances of the Lai Haroba as well as managing their seizures that result in shamanistic trances that help guide the Meitei people who come to them. This kind of shamanism can be seen only in Manipur and across Southeast Asia. There is no dearth of Maibis even in this day and age and it is not something one either wishes to become or avoid if it is so. The Maibi ritual dances include the whole Meitei cosmogony from creation through the creation of man, construction of houses, weaving and other aspects of living. There is even a Maibi dance of the deity playing polo, which originated in Manipur!

Thang-ta, the martial art of Manipur, may arguably be included as a form of dance. Besides the thang or sword, and ta or spear, shields and spears and other weapons are also used. Thang-ta can be practised as ritual, demonstration or combat. The first way is related to the tantric practices and is entirely ritualistic in nature. Demonstrations can be converted into actual fighting practices and combat application. Thang-ta is closely related to certain war-dances like thangkairol (sword dance) and khosarol (spear dance). Many ritualistic dances in Manipur were traditionally performed by martial artists such as the spear dance for funerals or the sacred thengou dance. The first time I saw the spire dance was shortly after the end of the war in Vietnam and I was struck by the technique of stepping forward after first swiveling the foot in front before stepping, which was clearly the wise way to move through knee-high paddy fields that might have stakes hidden throughout, as was the traditional practice used by the Vietcong.

The internationally acclaimed theatre of the brilliant director Rattan Thiyam, and other fine Manipuri theatre groups, is supported by actors, who have learned dance as part of their cultural ethos. Being part of a society that dances has given a foundation on which to build upon an incredibly evocative physical theatre. Manipuri dances use the entire body for expression, comparable to western dance traditions but with different aesthetics. Manipur is a land without stone for temples of sculpted figures. The dance is never static, never stopping in frozen poses, but rather subtle and elegant transitions of circles, curves and figure eights. The ankle bells of many Indian classical forms that clearly delineate rhythms through foot contact cannot be used in Manipuri where the subtly of rhythms are syncopated and the off beats may be demarcated by a bend of the knee or in the air besides by the foot. This makes it less visible to the less observant eye, but the reward of closer attention will reveal a world of ethereal nuance.

Sharon Lowen is a respected exponent of Odissi, Manipuri, Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chau. She has an MA in Dance from Michigan University and 17 years of experience in Modern Dance and Ballet in the US.

NEEPCO To Build 4 Hydro Projects in Manipur

By Sobhapati Samom
Imphal, Aug 29 : Manipur Government today signed a pre-implementation agreement with the North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) for implementation of four hydro power projects with a total installed capacity of 368 MW, at the conferene hall of Hotel Imphal here this morning.

Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Rural Development Minister Francis Ngajokpa, Parliamentary Secretary for Horticulture and Soil Conservation Vungzagin Valte, State Chief Secretary PC Lawmkunga attended the pre-implementation agreement signing function. State Electricity department chief engineer N Sarat was also present in the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Ibobi Singh appealed to the NEEPCO authority not to take much time in completing the projects. He also expressed the need to address the environmental issues while taking up the projects. NEEPCO CMD PC Pankaj assured that the Corporation will try to complete the project within five years time.

The four hydropower projects which are expected to be taken up in collaboration with NEEPCO include Irang Hydro Project (60 MW), Tuivai Hydro Project (51 MW), Pabram Hydro Project (190 MW) and Khongnem Hydro Project (67MW).

The project cost of Irang Project is estimated at about Rs 330 crore while Pabram project, may cost more than Rs 1,000 crore, both in Tamenglong district. The Irang project would entail construction of a 104 metres high earthen dam.

Tuivai Project costing around Rs 300 crore would be taken up at Deilkhai village under Thanlon sub-division of Churachandpur district. This project too would have an earthen dam of 110 metres height while the Khongnem power project under Tadubi Assembly constituency in Senapati district will be taken up with an investment of Rs 430 crore.

Manipur is currently facing a power shortage like the other NE States. The State has a shortfall of about 80 MW to 90 MW in peak hour specially in winters.

Manipur Presses International Air Services

Guwahati, Aug 27 : The Manipur government has asked the Centre to launch international air services from Imphal airport to Bangkok via Mandalay and Kunming.

Manipur parliamentary secretary for tourism and sports Mairembam Prithviraj told the Union minister of tourism, Sripad Yesso Naik, to take up the matter with the civil aviation ministry.

Speaking at the national conference of tourism ministers in New Delhi recently, Prithviraj said the Imphal airport has been converted into an international facility. Union minister for finance and defence Arun Jaitley was also present.

Organized as part of the government's 100 days' action plan, the objective of the conference was to initiate high-level discussions on important issues faced by the tourism industry.

Prithviraj has also asked the Union tourism minister for starting the proposed Imphal-Mandalay bus service soon. He has proposed to set up an international travel and tourism mart in October 2015 and invited the tourism minister to be the chief guest at the Manipur Sangai Festival. The state has been organizing the festival since 2010.

"The festival (Sangai) is becoming increasingly popular with each passing year. The last edition of the event witnessed a large number of participants from Myanmar, including the two CMs of Sagaing and Mandalay regions of Myanmar. Polo teams from the US, UK, France, Germany and Thailand participated in the 7th Manipur International Polo Tournament held at Imphal Pologround as a part of the Sangai Festival. "We are planning to make the eigth edition of the tournament more eventful by inviting more participants," said Prithviraj.

The parliamentary secretary talked about the Manipur government's initiative to develop tourism infrastructure in the state which includes developing a hotel into a five-star. The tourism circuit should cover destinations from Imphal to Jessami, Imphal to Mao, Imphal to Moreh and Imphal to Churachandpur.

He also stated that the Manipur Tourism Policy, 2014, has been formulated with a view to propel the industry.

Manipur Activists On House-To-House Search For 'Foreigners'

Imphal, Aug 26 : he demand for the reintroduction of the Inner Line Permit system in Manipur took a new turn on Monday with several activists conducting house-to-house searches. They were checking the identification papers of migrant workers staying in rented rooms. All these days the activists were handing over migrant workers without identification papers to police. However, from Monday the activists are asking such workers to leave Manipur.

Police sources said that there will be police intervention since many of such workers are genuine Indians. However, the activists point out that in the absence of valid identification papers the workers may be foreigners who had sneaked in through West Bengal and Tripura.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has been saying that while the government will extend assistance in detecting the foreigners, police would not remain a silent spectator when genuine Indians are harassed.

Activists of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System are joining hands with women vigilantes and members of local youths' clubs in conducting the house-to-house searches.

In the recent past, some of the workers were found to be possessing fake voter cards. Many others did not have any identification papers.

The activists said that some government officials, village chieftains and panchayat representatives who had been issuing domicile certificates to a few outsiders, have been asked to stop such practices.
Markets for women, locals

The women's wing of the Joint Committee has vowed to preserve the exclusive character of all-women markets in Manipur which are known all over the world.

Nganbi Lourembam, the convener of the women's wing, told reporters on Monday that of late migrant workers have intruded the markets. She said non-locals should not sell wares in these markets. She further said that male migrant workers should stop coming to the markets to sell items.

She was talking to reporters during raids on some areas in the Imphal town on Monday. Reports suggested that new migrants in the town were taking shelter in various places of the town. If the persons do not possess valid identification papers like the voter card, they should go back.

She said that the raids are being conducted after prior announcement. Police stayed at a safe distance. She said the raids would continue in other parts of the State.

Meanwhile, there are reports of sit-in protests in some places demanding the reintroduction of the ILP in Manipur.

Judges’ Reports Reveal Manipur’s AFSPA Scars

By Krishnadas Rajagopal

Activists have long been demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Details of crimes committed by Army and CRPF add impetus to the cry for justice

A 15-year-old girl carrying lunch for her father to his workplace, a mother putting her baby to sleep at home, a woman waiting for her bus at a busy marketplace and spectators at a volleyball match are some of the innocent victims of rape and revenge killings by services personnel under the cover of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur.

The details of the crimes allegedly committed by the Army, the CRPF and police commandos were revealed in a series of inquiry reports filed by serving and retired district judges, adding impetus to the cry for justice and repeal of AFSPA by activist Irom Sharmila. On August 8, 2014, the Manipur government handed over the reports to a Supreme Court Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

The Bench is hearing a PIL petition filed in 2012 by the Extra Judicial Executions Victims’ Families Association, through senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, seeking a Special Investigation Team to probe almost 1,590 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings and disappearances in the State since the 1980s.

These inquiries, commissioned by the State government and the Guwahati High Court, date back to 1985.

One report by M. Manoj Kumar Singh, District Judge, Imphal East, is about the rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl committed by two Army personnel of the 12th Grenadier on October 4, 2004. The victim committed suicide the same day.

The judge noted that “crimes against women, more particularly relating to sexual harassment, committed by armed forces, are now increasing at least in some States like ours.”

The report said: “They [armed forces] think themselves placed at the elevated status of impunity by the legislation and think wrongly they are given licence to do whatever they like.”

Another report by C. Upendra Singh, a retired district judge, investigated the death of Amina, a young mother shot by CRPF personnel while putting her baby to sleep at home. The report said she died when a CRPF party, in pursuit of a man, entered Naorem village, surrounded Amina’s house and fired indiscriminately.

Similarly, Judge Manoj Kumar Singh investigated the shooting of Yumnam Robita Devi, 52, on April 9, 2002 as she waited for a bus at Pangei Bazar. A passing convoy of CRPF personnel was ambushed by insurgents. In retaliation, the report said, the personnel turned to the civilians and fired indiscriminately. Ms. Devi, who ducked on the floor of the market, was spotted and shot dead.

Manipuri Ponies Riding into Oblivion

By Manjula Narayan

Rocky squelches through the rich black mud of Lamphelpat outside Imphal, stopping occasionally to nibble on tufts of grass. All around, herds of Manipuri ponies are gazing contentedly, the males casting proprietary looks about the landscape as the mares nuzzle their gamboling foals.

Seven-year-old Avinash is an expert bareback rider. Here he’s pictured on Bala, his favourite pony. (Photo by CK Sharma)

If you shut your eyes to the buildings looming at the edge of the wetland, seeming to advance stealthily like an ugly concrete version of Great Birnam wood in Macbeth, you can almost imagine how this valley looked for centuries, when it was the preferred grazing ground for thousands of Manipuri ponies.

“These semi-feral ponies have a unique genetic character. Unlike other horses that cannot survive if they get wet, they can stand in water up to their shoulders and continue to graze,” says journalist Ningthoukhongjam Ibungochoubi, secretary of the Manipuri Pony Society.

Sadly, most of the ponies are now gone, driven almost to extinction by untrammelled development in Imphal that has destroyed meadows and reclaimed lakes. This has pushed the quadrupeds, one of only five indigenous Indian horse varieties that include the Marwari, the Kathiawari, the Zanskari and the Spiti, onto the streets, where they are often run over, or worse, choke to death on plastic waste swallowed while foraging in garbage dumps.

A loud rumble distracts the ponies from their sedate munching. A gigantic truck has dumped yet another load of mud into Lamphelpat. The Imphal campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) will soon sprawl across this area. Other parts of the pat or lake have been marked out for a range of projects including, it is rumoured, a baseball field.


At a polo match on the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association’s farm, the ponies and riders are in perfect sync. (Photos by CK Sharma)

This is absurd considering it’s at the cost of polo, the game that first made Manipur internationally famous and is as dear to many Meiteis — the majority ethnic group in the state — as gully cricket is to the rest of India. Indeed, Imphal has Mapal Kangjeibung, the oldest living polo ground in the world, and polo clubs abound in the state where the game isn’t the preserve of the upper class. 

Everywhere, a sport’s popularity can be gauged by the enthusiasm of children. Children here can often be seen riding ponies down the less busy streets and leading them through their paces. The sight of tiny Avinash (7), expertly riding his favourite pony Bala bareback across the rolling grasslands that are part of the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association’s breeding farm, is especially wonderful. “Riding is part of our way of life, our culture. Sometimes kids even ride ponies naked,” laughs Joyremba Haobam, Managing Director of CubeTen, a software company in Imphal, as we watch a polo march.

Riders and ponies are equally intent on the game as they charge around the field, grunting, yelling, mallets thwacking the ball. There’s much daredevilry on display as human and animal synchronize perfectly. Later, the feeling that you’ve stepped into a magical place — part Mongolian steppe, part Vaishnavite homeland —  intensifies when a rosy-cheeked girl on a gray pony charges past on the main street.

Most of the time, though, Manipur calls to mind human tragedy, the excesses of AFSPA, Irom Sharmila’s brave struggle, the women who stripped naked to protest the brutal killing of Manorema. The rest of the country knows about these tragedies but few are aware of the slow choking of the state’s environment.

“Lamphelpat’s peaty soil is made up of the decaying matter of plants and organisms. It has taken thousands of years to evolve but due to our carelessness, it is going to vanish,” says wetland ecologist S Shyamjai Singh, who explains that the lake absorbs the city’s pollutants and keeps the weather moderate.

His colleague Bidan Singh, Secretary of the Manipur Wetland Society, points out that the death of Lamphelpat will wreak havoc on Imphal. “In the early monsoon, the water drains to the Samushang channel, which connects to the Nambul river. At the onset of the monsoon, the excess water from the river gets stored in Lamphelpat. It is a natural flood control system,” says Singh, who once spent four weeks pursuing his research in a hut on a floating bit of biomass on Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in the north-east. Reckless reclamation has blocked both the free flow of water and its storage. “If Lamphelpat is filled up, the whole city of Imphal will be flooded. It’s already happening,” he says. “The role of a wetland is to be a kidney, a sponge. The government is spending crores every year to mitigate the flood. If they just preserved Lamphelpat, it would solve the problem,” he says.

It isn’t just scientists who are worried. “If we don’t save Lamphelpat, even the remaining ponies will vanish,” says Momon Singh, a former jockey who reveals that when a project threatened Vijay Mallya’s stud farm in Karnataka, the tycoon had ensured that plans were changed. Unfortunately, the Manipuri pony doesn’t have a powerful benefactor like Mallya and the breed’s extinction seems imminent. A pony census shows that while there were 1893 ponies in 2003, the number fell to 1218 in 2007. “We’ve done an unofficial count before the census is conducted later this year and now there are only about 400 ponies left,” says Ibungochoubi.

To its credit, the state government is trying to provide a sanctuary near the temple to Lord Marjing, a Meitei deity. “Most Manipuris became Vaishnavite Hindus around the 14th century. Before that, we followed Sanamahism. With Vaishnavism, we continued to worship our old gods like Iboudhou Marjing, who is believed to be the inventor of polo,” says Ibungochoubi as we trudge up the steps to the temple. At the top, is a beautiful idol of Marjing, lord of prosperity, good health and virility, seated majestically on Samadon, a sweet faced Manipuri pony. Alongside the idol are marble ponies rearing up on their hind legs. Devotees bearing vivid purple water lilies from the Heingang lake nearby kneel down and lose themselves in prayer. The experience is strangely moving and leaves you feeling grateful for glimpsing other ways of knowing, of believing, of being.

“In our traditional belief, Ibudhou Marjing was a master horseman and his horse could fly. So the pony is an integral component of our civilisation,” says Ibungochoubi adding that Meitie horsemanship had ensured that Manipur stayed independent through the ages. “Polo — the modern form originated in Manipur — is sometimes called a peacetime war exercise. Our history shows that some games had 200 people on horseback on each side,” he says. “Polo players from all over the world dream of playing here on the original pony, which is the Manipuri pony. For them, coming to Manipur is like a pilgrimage!”

If the number of ponies continues to dwindle, though, it’s a pilgrimage that could be discontinued. “According to international norms, if any breed is fewer than 2,000 in number, it is considered endangered and if the number of fertile females is fewer than 300, it is considered critically endangered. The Manipuri pony is actually critically endangered,” says Ibungochoubi, who hopes the central government will step in to save the breed and preserve its grazing grounds.

Back at Lamphelpat, polo player Romen Singh, fondly watches a foal ambling down a dirt track.

“Khambaton!” he calls. In response, the little pony canters up excitedly. “His mother died after he was born so we bottle fed him,” Romen says as he holds out two sugared loaves. Khambaton demolishes both before rejoining his brother, a magnificent older chestnut. It’s a heartwarming scene that reveals much about the close relationship between many Manipuris and these hardy ponies.

As still another truck dumps its load into the lake, you wonder if Rocky and Khambaton and the rest of the herd will survive the destruction of this grassland, whether they will end up as road kill. You wonder if Manipur too will succumb to the excesses of development that are diminishing lives in other parts of India; if it will let go of all it holds dear, its unique culture and its unusual relationship with its ponies for the evanescent pleasures of ‘modern’ life.

You can only hope that Iboudhou Marjing will show the way.

In Pictures: Manipur's 'Custodial Killings'

Irom Sharmila's release has once again put focus on extra-judicial deaths at hands of army in northeastern Indian state.

By Karen Dias

Manipur, a northeastern state of India bordering Myanmar, has been embroiled with armed insurgency and ethnic conflict for the past four decades.

The Indian government imposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in 1980 to deal with the armed rebellion, in what the government calls "a disturbed area".

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which is also applied in India-administered Kashmir, gives security forces the power to detain and arrest anybody on mere suspicion, enter and search without warrants. The armed forces are exempt from any investigation or prosecution under the law that many human rights activists dub draconian.

Under this Act, several human rights violations such as fake encounters, torture, sexual abuse and enforced disappearances committed by Indian armed forces have come to light.

Irom Sharmila, a human rights activist based in Manipur, had been fasting for the past 14 years demanding the repeal of this Act, which is arguably one of the longest protest fasts in history.

She was released from a prison hospital in Manipur on August 20 where doctors had force fed her to keep her alive. She was charged with the attempt to commit suicide, which is a crime under Indian law.

"It is hard for me to believe that I am free now. My battle against injustice and crimes committed by the army in Manipur will continue," Sharmila told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

In 2004, following the rape and murder of a young woman named Thangjam Manorama, widespread protests took place in the northeastern Indian state. Manorama's death triggered a protest by 12 middle-aged women who stripped naked and protested holding up signs saying "Indian Army Rape Us" in the state capital, Imphal, which made international headlines.

In January last year, the Supreme Court appointed a commission to make inquiries into these allegations after a public interest litigation was filed listing 1,528 people as victims of this draconian law. Six cases were pulled up at random and investigated, all of which were found to be fake encounters.

Gangarani Kongkhang, 38, is a visually-impaired woman whose husband Deban Kongkhang was killed after a hail of bullets were fired into the van he was driving, allegedly by the Thoubal District Police Commandos at Patpan Lamkhai in Imphal. The government vowed to punish the perpetrators. She was promised a government job and financial compensation but six years later she has received nothing. She lives on handouts and takes care of her two children aged seven and 12.

Wangkhem Chandrakala's husband, Namoijan Lukhoi, was shot by two unidentified men outside their home on April 21, 2008. She filed a police complaint but gave up the case because she feared repercussions and worries about the safety of her four school-going children. "Soon after my husband's death, I went into depression and began to lose my senses. I would wander off and find myself in the fields or in the crematorium. My family members and neighbours had to keep an eye on me," she told Al Jazeera.

Irom Sharmila Chanu, known as "The Iron Lady of Manipur" has been on a protest fast for last 14 years demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Here she is pictured in her Security Ward at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. She was released on Wednesday.

Family members and local activists attend the memorial service held on the tenth anniversary of Thangjam Manorama's death on July 10 at Bamon Kampu Mayai Lekai in Imphal. Manorama was picked up on July 9, 2004 by the 17th Assam Rifles. She was found raped and murdered with bullet wounds on her genitalia the next day near her home in Ngariyan Maring. Her death sparked widespread protests in Manipur and other parts of India.

Khumbongmayum Lata Devi's 20-year-old son Khumbongmayum Orsonjit Singh was killed by the Manipur Police Commandos on March 16, 2010. His is one of the cases concluded to be a fake encounter by a commission appointed by the Supreme Court.

  Irom Sharmila waits in her ambulance on July 7 as armed guards stand by outside the Appellate Court in Lamphel. She began her fast on November 2, 2000 when 10 civilians were killed at a bus stop by the Assam Rifles in the Malom district near Imphal airport.

  Women who are part of the Extrajudicial Execution Victims Families Association of Manipur (EEVFAM) pose for a photograph with portraits of family members who were killed by armed forces on the fifth anniversary of EEVFAM in Imphal. EEVFAM provides support and counsels families in dealing with the loss of their husbands and sons and in dealing with the stigma of their family members being labeled as underground rebels.

  On January 24, 2009, Soraishem Joy, 40, was picked up from his home by Assam Rifles soldiers and was blindfolded and beaten in an open field and waterboarded at their camp in Patsoi, near Imphal. He was forced to sign a blank piece of paper and was later thrown in jail for six days after which he was released because villagers protested and pleaded his innocence. "If it wasn't for my neighbours and family support, I would have been a dead body like all those other fake encounter cases. I have done nothing wrong," he says.

Flowers are placed in front of portraits of men who were victims of extrajudicial killings.

  RK Surjalata Singh, 50, lost her 26-year-old son Irengbam Roshan on May 8, 2012. He was allegedly shot by the Assam Rifles in the Ukhrul district in Manipur. Surjalata remembers her son's body at the morgue as having burn marks from scalding water and bullet wounds suggesting torture methods were used. Surjalata's younger brother, RK Khogen was also killed in the 1995 RIMS (Regional Institute of Medical Sciences) massacre in Imphal when security forces opened fire, killing nine civilians.

  Neena Ningombam, 33, lost her husband Michael Nongmaithem in 2008. Michael was accused by the police of being a rebel and was allegedly shot for trying to escape. After her husband's death, she joined other widows whose husbands were killed by the Indian Army and started a campaign against army atrocity. She has two sons, aged six and 12.

  Roni, 30, with her nine-year-old son Mutum Mir. Her husband Mutum Herojit, 38, was killed in an encounter on October 13, 2008. "I want justice for my husband. No other woman's husband should die in the future. I want to tell the government that this killing should stop or else Manipur will become a state of widows," she told Al Jazeera.

Source: Al Jazeera

Modern Democracy has no place for laws like AFSPA

A Manipur sessions court has ruled that Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been fasting to protest military atrocities in Manipur under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) since 2000, is not guilty of attempting to commit suicide, a criminal act under India's laws.

Fasting for political causes has been a hallmark of satyagraha, or non-violent protest, originally practised and preached by none other than Gandhi. But this acquittal really does not solve anything.

Even if Sharmila is released from detention at the Imphal hospital where she is incarcerated, she is unlikely to give up her fast. In that case, she will have to continue to be fed nasally, as she is now.

The hospital is probably a more sanitary place for this to happen. Ultimately the governments of Manipur, other northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir — where AFSPA is imposed — — will have to take the decision to scrap the Act from their states.

But even that will not solve this problem. The Centre also has to agree to revoke the AFSPA, which gives draconian powers to the military to arrest and detain anyone without warrants.  It can also use unlimited force on people who live in areas declared 'disturbed.'

Nobody in the armed forces is judicially liable for any atrocities that happen under the AFSPA.

Whenever previous governments in New Delhi have tried to grasp this nettle, the military establishment has stepped in to argue that it cannot deal with insurgency in sensitive areas without the cover of this law, which was originally drawn up by the British to curb the freedom movement in 1942.

The government has to recognise that in a modern democracy, in the 21st century, there is no scope to retain legislation like the AFSPA.

Unlike a colonial ruler, whose wishes were imposed on a colonised people, democratic regimes survive on the will of voters.

Persisting with laws like AFSPA will actually prolong militancy and disaffection in the northeast and J&K, not end it. It is time the government scrapped this brutal relic from the past, to strengthen India's fledgling democracy.