The word ‘donation’ had become one of the most abused terms in recent history. Groups engaged in such extortion activities used the term ‘donation’ quite liberally. Interestingly, these groups are seeking the so-called ‘donations’ for the cause of another much-abused term ‘in service of the motherland’ without even batting an eyelid. In the 70s and 80s, insurgency was at its height but ‘demand’ letters were very scarce and forcible donation almost nil. In those days, donations were sought only by the local clubs for undertaking some kind of service in the locality.
On those occasions, verbal spats between stingy local elders and young club members were always hilarious and such exchanges would become talk of the locality. But no amount was forced on the people and they are free to donated any amount. In those days, underground groups were only a few and these groups would never use force on the general public. They were in fact very respectful and always careful not to antagonise the people as they seem to believe in the dictum that they would be fish out of water if they antagonise the people.
In the past, the valley had its share of armed organizations borne out of a revolutionary zeal or in pursuit of self-determination or the oppressive regime of draconian laws and widespread violations of human rights. Sadly, those days are gone. As the number of underground groups increased, the net of extortion canvas became wider and brutal. The business lobby based in the Imphal main market, the contractors and suppliers, the salaried class and even entrepreneurs were not spared in the extortion business. Even the educational institutions and hospitals including those working there are not spared nowadays.
One had simply lost count and ragtag armed groups or factions had become dime a dozen. Monetary demands had become commonplace, so much so that the general public had begun to accept the menace as something from which one cannot escape. That sense of utter dejection and helplessness combined with state’s lack of adequate response had somehow numbed the public conscience. The fear of reprisal with shootings and ‘demand’ bombs had created an atmosphere where one is forced to succumb to such threats. Like elsewhere in such situations, the baggage of ragtag groups and factions followed thereby muddying up the waters.
The general public, particularly the affluent and middle-class families, have had innumerable struggles in identifying the ‘genuine’ from the ‘pretenders’ and many had lost their lives. Because, every group whether ‘genuine’ or fake have guns and bombs in their kitty and a nuisance value. Last year, after ethnic clashes erupted in the state the extortion business gradually returned and now it has become a menace to the society. It started with donations for general upkeep and expenses to support the village volunteer forces in the frontlines and in the trenches, to which everyone contributed without any complaints. Some people even went directly to the fringe areas and donate whatever they could. As regards food and lodging, it was taken care of by the host villages. And then, the ‘requests’ for donations towards buying of guns, bullets and drones came.
In all these, everyone complied without even a grudge. Suddenly, several ragtag groups which had become more or less dormant sprang up with a gusto to join in the melee. And, it became indistinguishable to many. The demands, threats, bombs and guns came back in a rush. In such a situation, creation of a dedicated cell to deal with the menace and appeal to the general public is well and good but not adequate.
A secure environment needs to be created for the public to come forward and give cooperation to the police as people are always wary of retaliation or reprisal from those groups they had fingered. Police action should be in such a way that would not bring suspicion to members of the public or informers. Rather, police action should be seen as outcome of their intelligence network or made to believe so.
