This is yet another well considered piece of editorial. I just
can't quite figure out why , or how, the Sentinel opinions go like a
yo-yo, from the well considered to outright propaganda on behalf of
the same India that makes "--complete mockery of the democratic
rights" of its people.
Emphases mine,
cm
A Fast with a Difference
At a time when violence has entered almost every facet of the average citizen's life and the nation as a whole has been desensitized, Irom Sharmila's fast has given new significance and meaning to the form of protest perfected by the father of the nation. Six years ago, after security forces in Manipur gunned down 10 persons near Imphal, Sharmila began her fast demanding the scrapping of the notorious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA. The government has detained her on charges of attempting suicide and she has been force-fed all these years. The very fact that she succeeded in removing herself to Delhi and now continues her protest in the heart of the country's capital, has added a sort of mystique to the struggle being put up by this frail woman from Manipur against the might of the Indian state. By shifting the venue of her historic fast from 'remote' Imphal to the nation's capital, Sharmila has succeeded in taking the woes of the people of Manipur and the Northeast right up to the doors of those who are still under the misconception that the answer to the ills of the northeastern region lies primarily in abrogating the rights of the peripheral people and by arming the security forces with unlimited powers.
At a time when violence has entered almost every facet of the average citizen's life and the nation as a whole has been desensitized, Irom Sharmila's fast has given new significance and meaning to the form of protest perfected by the father of the nation. Six years ago, after security forces in Manipur gunned down 10 persons near Imphal, Sharmila began her fast demanding the scrapping of the notorious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA. The government has detained her on charges of attempting suicide and she has been force-fed all these years. The very fact that she succeeded in removing herself to Delhi and now continues her protest in the heart of the country's capital, has added a sort of mystique to the struggle being put up by this frail woman from Manipur against the might of the Indian state. By shifting the venue of her historic fast from 'remote' Imphal to the nation's capital, Sharmila has succeeded in taking the woes of the people of Manipur and the Northeast right up to the doors of those who are still under the misconception that the answer to the ills of the northeastern region lies primarily in abrogating the rights of the peripheral people and by arming the security forces with unlimited powers.
Last week we had occasion to refer to Sharmila's fast in
this column. We are writing about it once again because this is no
ordinary fast, especially in a country when fasting as a form of
protest has long since degenerated into a cheap gimmick. Irom
Sharmila's fast has not only succeeded in once again galvanizing the
people of Manipur in their fight against the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act and the blatant violations of human rights that have been
committed by the security forces, but it has also raised certain
fundamental questions about the character of the Indian nation-state
and its equations with the small ethnic nationalities struggling for
political space within (and sometimes outside) the Indian Union. The
very fact that the Indian state has tried to bypass a fast by a woman
for six years against one of its most autocratic and draconian
measures shows the inherent contradiction between the democratic
principles enshrined in our Constitution and the priorities of a
centralized nation-state. It is indeed a pity that in these 60 years
of freedom, there has been no concerted move on the part of successive
governments to resolve what may be called the basic inconsistency
between the conception of a modern nation-state and the pervasive
reality of the polyethnic and multinational character of our country.
Otherwise, New Delhi would not have reacted as it has done in all
these years to the popular outrage against a piece of legislation
which makes a complete mockery of the democratic rights of the average
citizen.
Apart from raising certain central issues about the
character and functioning of the Indian nation-state, Irom
Sharmila's fast has brought into focus the lack of transparency and
accountability of the Central government. When Manipur witnessed
unprecedented waves of popular protest against the AFSPA two years ago
following the rape and murder in army custody of Thangjam Manorama,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a much delayed move to assuage the
feelings of the Manipuri people, promised them that he would consider
replacing the AFSPA with a "more humane law that will address both
the concerns of national security and the rights of the citizens."
As part of this promise, the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee was set up
to review the AFSPA and to recommend, if necessary, its replacement by
a more humane Act. It is significant that in both the Prime
Minister's assurance to the Apunba Lup delegation which met him
towards the end of November 2004 and in defining the parameters of the
Reddy Committee, there is a reference to a "more humane Act" which
obviously means that the Centre has accepted the fact that the AFSPA
is an inhuman Act and needs to be changed or replaced!
Yet, it is more than a year now since the Reddy
Committee submitted its report to the government and the UPA
government does not have the courage even to throw open the report to
public debate, not to speak of acting on the Committee's
recommendations for a repeal of the AFSPA. If the Prime Minister
of a country cannot renege his pledge to the people, then what can one
expect but further alienation of the Northeast from 'mainstream'
India? The Centre's refusal to act on the Jeevan Reddy Committee's
findings not only reflects the inherent prejudices and coloured
mindset that continue to guide New Delhi's approach towards this
region, but, more importantly, it reveals the ever-increasing
influence of the security forces on the decision-making process in
relation to the Northeast. This was true even when this region was
quite free of militant politics. One may recall that in response to
the people's demand for a refinery in the State, Nehru wrote to the
then Assam Governor Fazl Ali in June 1957 that the refinery could not
be set up in Assam because the "military opinion was dead against
it." Today, with the northeastern region having been turned into a
fully militarized zone, it is but natural for the Prime Minister and
his Cabinet to buckle under Army pressure when it comes to repealing
draconian measures like the AFSPA. Thus, Sharmila's fast has
highlighted some of the inherent contradictions of the Indian state.
And all those who are concerned about the proper functioning of our
democratic polity are indebted to her. Hers is a fast that is a
narrative of the aberrations of Indian democracy.
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