Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

By Baba Strange things happen in Manipur. It is one of the states with highest literacy rates of the country. Unfortunately, people here behave like illiterates. The recent reports of a one Rajgopal of Wangkhei Nighthem Pukhri Mapal being expelled from the locality on charges of harassment of a minor domestic help is a case in point I am making it clear at the beginning that I am not supporting harassment of a minor domestic help. But, the question is: can under the law a social organization expel anybody from his lawful place of residence for doing a wrongful act? I think the answer is a clear no. The social organization and those who took the decision in the meeting should have taken a legal course, say filing a Public Interest Litigation or reporting the matter to the police so that the culprit enjoy the air of a jail. The matter could have been different in the case of the tribals. They have special laws under the Indian Constitution though these laws are also subject to reasonabl...

Kakching residents set deadline: Imphal, Feb 3: Kakching bazar observed a shutdown on Sunday in protest against the kidnapping of Naorem Keshwar Singh, an assistant engineer in the state electricity department, by cadres of an underground group on January 31. Several hundred Kakching residents, including members of the family of abducted engineer, also staged a massive sit-in protest at the Irabot Park, Kakching bazar over the kidnapping. A joint action committee has also been formed to take further course of action in connection with the issue. According to reports, shops and business establishments in the entire Kakching bazar, as well as vegetable and other vendors, also observed a shutdown in sympathy with the mass protest that began at 10 am in the morning. It may be mentioned, assistant engineer Naorem Keshore Singh, hailing from Kakching Wairi Senapati Leikai, who is posted in the electricity department`s executive engineer`s office was abducted by unidentified gunmen on January...

AKRSU withdraws 1,000-hr blockade in Assam: Guwahati, Dec 28: The All Koch Rajbonshi Students' Union (AKRSU) on Friday announced that it will temporarily withdraw its 1,000-hour blockade from January 1. Disclosing this at a press meet here, AKRSU president Biswajit Ray said the decision to withdraw the blockade was taken to facilitate the participation of the public in the three-phase Panchayat polls, which begins from December 31. ''The Panchayat election enables the people at the grassroots to participate in a democratic process. We don’t want to disrupt it,'' he said. He added that the AKRSU would maintain a neutral role in the local bodies' election. On the blockade issue, Ray said the Chief Minister's assurance, through state Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma and press advisor Deba Prasad Bora, of a tripartite meeting involving the AKRSU, state and the centre had prompted the AKRSU to suspend the agitation. ''If the talks don't come through by J...

CM stresses need for commitment, determination: Imphal, Dec 28: The Chief Minister of Manipur on Friday gave a call for firm determination and commitment to meet the challenges of HIV/AIDS in the state. The CM, inaugurating the one day state level convention on HIV/AIDS at Panchayat Bhawan, said that collective effort with mass participation is the answer to the prevention and eradication of HIV/AIDS. Ibobi said that the elected legislative members are going to show their commitment and participation in fighting HIV/AIDS. He said that the MLA Local Area Development Fund Act has been amended to enable sanctioning certain amount for HIV/AIDS related programmes in each assembly constituencies. However, he said that percentage of fund to be allocated is not yet decided upon. Inspiring the zilla parishad members and pradhans to get actively involved in the issue of HIV/AIDS, the CM said that each member of the panchayat should look into the details in their respective villages and do time b...

Harps on state integrity issue: Imphal, Dec 26: The MPP on Wednesday wound up its two-week long 40th foundation observation at its office. The closing function started with a trip to the Kangla Laiphamlen and from there the party’s flag was brought which was then hoisted at its office by its president Dr L Chandramani. Dr Chandramani and MLA O Joy graced the function as the president and chief guest respectively. Apart from the party’s MLAs, panchayat members and members of the Imphal Municipal Council turned up in huge drove to attend the day’s closing function. Addressing the gathering, O Joy gave a vivid account of the party, from its inception to its present situation. The MPP was born with the idea that a regional party formed in the State would be in a much better position to look after the welfare of the people than the National parties, which have its roots at New Delhi, said Joy. The first priority of the MPP is to ensure the territorial integrity of Manipur, he said and added...