A vigilante is a person, who is not a member of a law enforcement agency but still pursues criminals, and either brings them to justice or takes justice into his own hands; and the act of doing so is called vigilantism. With the passage of time, and the development of agencies to deal with crimes and criminals, vigilantism has died down and the act itself is looked upon as criminal. But there was a time when vigilantism was the only recourse to justice, especially in the early history of many states in the United States of America, and vigilantes were, in many instances, respected members of the community.
When citizens of a society feel secure and believe that things, as a whole, are functioning smoothly; there is no need to worry about vigilantes and vigilantism rearing its ugly head. But danger arises when people feel that law enforcement agencies are, either inefficient, being muzzled (as in the recent instance of the Vigilance Department and its powers to take suo moto recognisance of cases)or being directed to serve the interests of the exploiters of society ( as in the case of the arrest of the members of A.C.A.U.T.). This leads to the feeling that there is no avenue for the redressal of their grievances and that they must take the law into their own hands; if they are to see justice served.
The government should be grateful to, and realise that all organisations like the A.C.A.U.T. and M.T.L.T. are doing is bringing public grievances to its attention. The fact that M.T.L.T. unearthed the diversion of rice meant for the public distribution system to the open market, that they shut down the offices of the Electrical Department at Mokokchung, and that the A.C.A.U.T raided the mysterious repackaging godowns are just signs of the growing frustration of the people with the way things are; and can, in no way, be construed as acts of vigilantism or flexing of their muscles or taking the law into their own hands. When the law is absent, or doesn’t work, or works in favour of the law breakers, every right thinking and law abiding citizen has a duty to ensure that the criminals are exposed to the authorities, and to society.
It would be in the interests of all, if the State Government would pay serious attention to the issues highlighted by the A.C.A.U.T, the M.T.L.T. and like organisation, instead of nitpicking about the finer points of law and finding fault with the exposers of the crime in its endeavour to protect the criminals. For these organisations are the pulse of the people and addressing the issues they bring up means addressing the concerns of the people at large.
Failure to do so can only mean the next step in the natural evolutionary course of protests, which is vigilantism. Vigilantism is when an anonymous group of people, in their frustration, ransacked the Electrical Department’s Office at Dimapur. The danger with vigilantism is its anonymity and lack of control and accountability. Once it starts, there’s no telling where it’ll end. But I end with the foreknowledge that our self-centred, misbegotten “leaders” will do nothing but carry on in the rutted path of their corruption. God, please save us from the self-centred nincompoops that govern us.
GOD SAVE MY NAGALAND
Kahuto Chishi Sumi G.B. Hevishe Village, Dimapur
