Abducted from under the nose of cops! Need to raise tough questions
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 24, 2021 -

Some tough, hard, uncomfortable but obviously very valid questions are in line.

Security arrangements must have been tight, if not for anything else, then for the very reason that Chief Minister N Biren was scheduled to attend a community outreach programme at Tamenglong district headquarters.

Then how was former president of Zeliangrong Baudi, Athuan Abonmai whisked away so casually just from outside the very venue where the Chief Minister was scheduled to address the outreach programme.

If a video clip which has gone viral on the social media such as WhatsApp is anything to go by, then what stopped the police personnel from swinging into action when Abonmai was taken away so non-chalantly in a Maruti Gypsy.

Why were the security personnel detailed for Abonmai found without any arms when he was abducted in open daylight in front of everyone ?

Something, somewhere is terribly wrong and if this is what can happen to a person right under the very nose of armed policemen then one will definitely not be wrong in stating that the abductors were given the right of way by the very set of people who were detailed there to maintain law and order.

It is time for the Government to seriously sit down and see how true they have been in grandly announcing that law and order situation has improved in the last couple of years.

The very fact that Athuan Abonmai was abducted in broad daylight in front of armed policemen, just outside the very venue where the Chief Minister was scheduled to address a meeting suggest that some armed cadres or armed outfits are calling the shots and letting their writ run large.

This is a serious matter and this is something which the Government can tackle only if they have the political willingness to do so.

The question is, does the present Government have the gumption to address the reality ?

Whose writ runs large at Tamenglong district, especially Tamenglong district headquarters is a question that ought to be raised now.

It is also a well known fact that there was no lost love between the late Athuan Abonmai and the NSCN (IM) which ironically is engaged in a peace talk with the Government of India.

Granted it is yet to be officially confirmed that the NSCN (IM) was behind the abduction and murder of Athuan Abonmai, but which other group can have that sway and 'power' to openly abduct a man right in front of a place where the Chief Minister is set to address a public meeting ?

More than obvious that the abduction and murder of Athuan Abonmai could not have been the handiwork of a bunch of rag, tag group of desperadoes but had the stamp of a well organised group which knew what it was doing.

And more particularly how the did the group responsible for the dastardly act come to know that Athuan Abonmai was in town and was set to attend the scheduled programme of the Chief Minister ?

This is where the Government would need to sit down and sincerely reflect on whether any effective ground work has been done to neutralise gun toting cadres of any armed group.

The State Government need to take up the matter seriously with the Centre and point to the fact that cadres of some outfits are openly calling the shots in some of the hill areas and this should be understood in the backdrop of the fact that at least one group has opened 'Taken Note of' camps to quote the Assam Rifles.

No designated camps but taken 'Taken note of' camps and herein lies a big tale.