Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A long drive along the picturesque highway in Imphal, immersed in the height of the magnificent peaks piercing the blue sky, came to a sudden halt. I peeked through the dark glasses of the car and found a few gunmen engaged in a conversation with our driver. 8216;We can8217;t go ahead,8217; said the driver.
This came as a major disappointment. I was looking forward to what seemed an useful trip to the tribal area of Churachandpur, which is supposed to have the highest incidence of HIV cases in the state. I tried flashing my press identification card, but in vain.
We now had to find an alternate site for the visit. The next day we tried a small shopping trip to the nearby market. When we reached we discovered that not a single shop was open. 8216;A rebel had died in the Churachandpur encounter,8217; we were told.
8216;Rebels8217;, 8216;militants8217;, 8216;combing8217;, 8216;cordon8217;, 8216;search8217;,8216; encounter8217; and 8216;operation8217; 8212; familiar words that had come to haunt me again. But this wasn8217;t Kashmir, my state, this was another end of the country which doesn8217;t even share its border with that 8216;infamous neighbour of ours8217;.
Two distinct ends, same circumstances. The similarities were striking. On every trip to a suburban area, the locals were thoroughly frisked and we, as visitors, were spared. My experiences of Srinagar soon came to be superimposed on Imphal. Shutters would drop every time there was a death. The security men seemed as distinct and distant as they were in Kashmir.
Largely ignorant about the reasons for the insurgency, I tried to find out more. But when questioned, apprehension was writ large on people8217;s faces. They refused to comment. 8216;I am also from a state facing similar problems, so I understand what you all must be going through,8217; I said, trying to show empathy 8212; using 8216;in-group8217; psychology which comes into play sometimes.
8216;These guys don8217;t want to be part of India and claim they were supposed to be independent after 1947,8217; said my local guide, a trifle apprehensively.
8216;But isn8217;t the majority community Hindu here?8217; I asked and was informed that the Meties, the Kukis and Nagas have their own distinct agendas.
Yet, we were always told that extremism is a characteristic of 8216;a particular minority community8217;. A small sojourn to this distant region helped me clear that wrong perception. It showed that there was no simplistic way to view the 8216;territory of violence8217; 8212; and that there are no simplistic solutions either.
But the question remains, why do people resort to such extremism? Why is the country, which was formed on the principles of unity in diversity, witnessing uprisings in its two extreme corners? Something has definitely gone wrong somewhere. We have to find out what that is.
