The recent spate of incidents regarding the atrocities committed by some 11th IRB jawans on two youngsters in east police station is a grim reminder of heavy handed tactics by the police to create terror and pain among its citizens particularly in Dimapur. It is a brutal human rights violation of individuals by the state. It is said that states are institutions which maintain peace, order and are protectors of human rights to all sphere of life but the paradox is, our state has been insensitive to human life, values and is the biggest violator and abettor in the abuse of human rights where people are mercilessly beaten like animals. It is to my utter disbelief that, how incidents of such magnitude are frequent in the state and situations are deliberately doused off so that it does not take a political turn. In principle, we can call it a state sponsored terror where there is no value for human lives and normal human activities are curbed. It is indeed a sad day for all the citizens of Dimapur that such an incident has become a norm in our daily lives. It is my conviction that our state is becoming a tyrant state rather than a welfare state where Freedom of choice and expression are suppressed and the citizens pay the brunt of police heavy handedness. So in this hour of great peril it is demanded that all civil societies and NGOs stand against such undemocratic nature of governance and stand by the aggrieved family and demand for appropriate actions against all errant police officers and jawans responsible for all such incidents. There are numerous unanswered questions which the Director General of Police needs to answer to the public at large. What was the Officer-in-Charge (O.C) doing when the incident took place at his jurisdiction? Whether the first information report (FIR) has been lodged against those jawans who had brutally beaten up the two youngsters inhumanely?
Criminal investigation should be initiated against the jawans and they should be suspended till criminal investigation are completed against them and further necessary punishments as applicable by law are handed down to them. Last but not the least the government should set up a committee headed by SP, Dimapur, to look into the matter of this incident and submit its report within a month and should be made public and press.
It is indeed a very sorry state of affairs where situations of such magnitude are frequent and it is a grim reminder of the past, where so many lives were lost in the name of law and order and terror. The political class cutting across party lines be it the NPF, CONGRESS, BJP or other local political parties need to take a strong view on this issue and note that in no civilized nation or state such perpetrators are allowed to go scot-free without any punishment for governments are elected by the people to preserve life and law and order not instead to cause mayhem. The civil organizations and in particular the NBCC should take strong note on the issue and should initiate for larger public cause and morally support the cause of the aggrieved family. It is high time that all civil organization in general should come out from the vicious cycle of mere mute spectators and need to create public opinion on the issue and should pressurize the government to set up committees to go into the findings of the incident as there is no one above the law and the rule of law should prevail.
To end this note, incidents such as this should not happen in future as it manifests the lack of sensitivity and poor governance of the state and in particular the law and order problem in the state which is persistently worsening since the past many months.
Limatemjen
M.A (Political Science )
University of Delhi
