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Journalism of Courage
With the situation in Jammu and Kashmir claiming the attention of the nation, response to equally worrying developments in Assam tends to be slow and unfocused. Indeed, it is a reflection of the general indifference the nation accords the Northeast that the recent ugly cycle of violence that the state witnessed drew only an apathetic response from administrators or politicians.
Perhaps, if the State had responded with the required alacrity and force when the first massacre occurred on October 22 resulting in the death of 15 people in Tinsukhia district some 68 lives would not have been lost. Such action would have also spared Assam the ghastly incident that occurred on Thursday evening when 28 men, women and children were mowed down and several others wounded at Sonpura, in the same district.
All this should have made the Assam government more alert to the possibility of terrorist attacks but the Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government has displayed a shocking lethargy in protecting vulnerable communities in his state. Not surprisingly, then, the Opposition there has even called for Presidentacirc;euro;trade;s rule in the state. Yet, according to information provided by some captured ULFA militants, the terrorist outfit is hoping to provoke the Centre into taking precisely such a measure, which is bound to alienate public opinion in the state. Presidentacirc;euro;trade;s rule is not the answer to Assamacirc;euro;trade;s present plight in any case, the state goes to the hustings next year. What Assam needs is a united political and public response to the politics of terror. Ironically, earlier this week, political parties in Assam had jointly resolved to work towards maintaining unity and communal harmony in the state and Mahanta had personally vowed to provide full security to all sections of the people in the state. The time has come to redeem thatpledge with all the force at his command and the Centre should assist him in this.
