Manipur’s Dilemma
Today, as the first votes are cast in India’s general election, the spotlight naturally turns to the bustling political activities across the country.
Eight men were laid to rest in Churachandpur district in Manipur on Wednesday, 632 days after they had died. The bodies had been kept in the morgue at the district hospital for close to two years.
It was on 31 August 2015 that the then Congress state government led by Okram Ibobi Singh pushed through three bills that would come to be known as the “anti-tribal bills”. The bills were aimed at putting restrictions in the state, making it difficult for outsiders to buy land, settle down or start businesses there.
Within hours of the bills being passed, the people in hills were up in arms over the fear that the special protections they enjoyed will be diluted. In the violence that followed, nine persons, including teenagers, were killed in police firing at Churachandpur.
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A Joint Action Committee comprising various citizen groups was formed and it was decided not to bury the dead. After some months, family of one of the nine victims conducted his funeral.
The new BJP government led by N Biren Singh, which came to power in the state in March, held talks with the families and reached an understanding on 10 May.
The government promised compensation for the affected families and agreed to consider the sentiments of “indigenous people” while moving forward with the bills, currently in deep freeze.
The eight individuals were buried on Wednesday.
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