India has been far from being a welfare state since 1947 even though, that was the actual promise. However post independence India has commited certain inhumaine faults that has plunged the nations history in depths of guilt to which the present Indian administration seems rather ignorant.
One such incident was when we disregarded all International Laws and forcibly annexed the State of Manipur to our Union. Manipur got its independence at the same time along with India and Pakistan. The nation swore to a new Constitution and had their first general elections in 1948 which was four years ahead of India. The Previous ruler Bodhachandra was sworn in as the new Constitutional Head and his own brother was democratically elected the Prime Minister by the voice of the mandate. India had previously promised to safe gaurd Manipur's interest in the fields of defence, but this promise seemed to last for a short while with V.B. Patel realising the startegic importance of Manipur as a border region between India and China. And with this realisation the dirty game began. On one hand India posed as Manipur's best friend and on the other it was initiating plans to wreck the democratic harmony of Manipur from within. Finally when Bodhachandra planned to meet the Governor of Assam in 1949, to settle all disputes his advisors had strongly reccomended against it, but he preferred to deal with faith in his Inidan counterparts which never got its due reciprocation. He was put under house-arrest and later coerced to sign the annexation treaty.
This is how we disgraced the same principles, based on which we fought for two hundred years advocating the right to self determination and sovereignity. It was ironical to see us forget, what we so strongly subscribed to for two hundred years in just two years of achieving independence.
But this was just a start of the tyrany that would soon sweep the life of our fellow Manipuri brothers and sisters. The next thing that the Indian authorities did was passed a legislation known as A.F.S.P.A better known as Armed Forces (Special Power) Act. This Act sought to equip the Army with special powers facilitating the process to crush the insurgency. But how? was the golden question that was never asked. It gave members of the army, power to shoot any suspect without any fear of being prosecuted. It also sought to immune the military from any prosecution even if they break into any housesold at any time of the day and indulge into random searches. Cant talk about the success rate of the Act in crushing the movement but it has surely succeeded in gaurding pervert officials of the state machinery when they rape the women over there.
A few years ago a group of women posed nude on the streets, in front of the Assam Rifles building holding posters that said "Indian Army rape us". A Lady has been on fast for ten years protesting against this gruesome piece of legislation and demanding the repealment of the Act. But that does not seem to be neccessary for the Indian Authorities as long as they can put Sharmila Irom on arrest and forcibly feed her through a pipe up her nostrils.
It is hightime that the Indian Authorities wake up to moral uprightness and repeal this Act which has terrorised the common Manipuri for the last forty years. Their hearts could have easily been won by taking interest in their development and not only their land. It was a wrong move that demands immediate correction otherwise we end up leaving our own constitution futile. This Act violates the principles of right to life guaranteed under Article 21 in inumerable ways.
Today it is a dual between the existence of this Act and the sustenance of the spirit of our Constitution.
