By Thepfulhouvi Solo (EMN)
I read what the Home Minister said to the collected Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police of the North East States at Delhi (Nagaland Page of 16 May 2017). There are several surprising phrases and sentences ascribed to the Northeast that I quote the relevant ones for the perusal of the Public.
The Home Minister-
‘Cautioning that radicalisation was fast emerging as big security challenge in the North-east, and it might soon turn into terrorism if not checked. He called for effective steps to chock their foreign funding.
He said the existence of radical ideologies in the region surrounding the north-astern States had made the area very vulnerable.
That’s why it was a must to identify the agents, who were trying to win over the population to radical ideologies hiding behind propagation of religion.
He said some NGOs and individuals were also fanning radicalism on the pretext of working for socio-cultural and educational development of the region. The proliferation of illegal arms in such large numbers leads to more crimes. The home Minister urged the Bureaucrats to take pre-emptive actions against such bodies and individuals. (The Writer underlined the Phrases for comment).
I have always viewed the Home Minister as somewhat of a Centre-Right Hindu, but did not expect him describe Northeast in such alarming terms.
The Northeast has been described as-
i. radicalizing fast as to be a Security Challenge,
ii. radical ideologies hiding behind propagation of religion,
iii. the radical ideologies surround the Northeast States,
iv. the Agents must be identified,
v. large numbers illegal arms in the Northeast,
vi. crime rate very high, conviction case very low,
The Bureaucrats are urged to take pre-emptive actions against Bodies and Individuals involved.
The People of Northeast are not radicalized to any Ideology or Party and live contentedly in their mountain Villages. They are naive, undeveloped, but friendly, hospitable, independent and not radicalised to any Party, Issue or Religion. They do not know of any “Radical ideologies surrounding the Northeast States”.
It is encouraging that the Union Government is seriously viewing terrorism. It is encouraging it has decided not to negotiate with any terrorist organisation. Known terrorist organisations need to be dealt sternly with the Law of the land.
However, the assumption that, “radical ideologies hiding behind propagation of religion”, needs to be investigated very thoroughly, and pre-emptive actions is taken only after it is found infallible. It is often by people from outside the Area who mean well for the region but have no deep understanding of the Northeast.
Initially, such allegation originated from Assam at the first few years of independent India’s first Prime Minister who was not exactly happy with the Province of Assam dealing unsuccessfully the political turmoil in boisterous Naga Hills, but finding no other satisfactory explanations for the vexatious situation in Naga Hills then, informed Delhi the foreign Missionaries of fomenting the Naga trouble.
The foreign Missionaries were promptly driven away giving 24 hours time to leave Naga Hill. They left accordingly, but the political trouble of the restless Naga still continues. Actually the Naga trouble started from the time before William Bentinck, the Governor General of British India time since 1832 to 1946 and it still continues perhaps till God’s Good time comes. The Naga and India have moral and ethical imperatives to settle the Issue in Peace.
My fear is that the Home Minister has wrongly been informed about the Northeast.
Unless the Northeast is treated as the Assam Police treated the Naga of yore, it may not emerge a security challenge to the Country and no Minister at Delhi need waste any precious time chasing the Rainbow.
