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IMPHAL, Oct 22: The World Meetei Council (WMC) has condemned Chief Minister Y Khemchand's reported remark that "not much force can be used as the issue is very delicate and sensitive" in connection with the killing of three woodcutters at Khongbal Sunurok near Nongshum, by Kuki militants.
In a press release issued by its Central Executive Committee secretary general Yambem Arun Meetei, the WMC questioned the Chief Minister’s response, stating that the people of Manipur deserve decisive leadership, accountability and justice.
"We can understand that when someone is personally entangled in a situation, directly or indirectly, it may become difficult to discharge their responsibility with the firmness and impartiality the situation demands. Perhaps that is when words like delicate and sensitive become convenient explanations for inaction", the statement said
Stating that the people of Manipur, however, have endured prolonged violence, insecurity and uncertainty, the WMC asserted that the Government must act firmly against crimes irrespective of the identity, influence or political affiliation of the perpetrators.
Justice cannot be selective and the rule of law cannot bend to political convenience, the WMC stated.
The WMC also questioned the alleged silence of BJP leaders and a BJP MP who had demanded a resignation of Lok Sabha MP Bimol Akoijam in connection with the sexual harassment controversy.
It asked whether the lives of the three woodcutters did not deserve the same urgency and public outrage.
The WMC maintained that the people of Manipur deserve answers and security rather than "helpless statements".
The people of Manipur deserve a Government that has the courage to act when innocent lives are lost.
Saying that a tragedy cannot be managed through carefully chosen words, the Council maintained that all forms of atrocity must be answered with decisive action, impartial justice and accountability by the Government.
"The lives of our people must never become a delicate and sensitive political inconvenience," the Council said.