Leader Writer: Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
And yet again, we stand at the fag-end of another tumultuous year. If there were no record-breaking bandhs or blockade this year, the series of bomb blasts and increasing spate of violence especially against women and children more than made up for it. With just less than a month left, before the year-end, there is still no let-up in the frequency of events bordering unbridled insanity that we get to witness on a daily routine, much to the chagrin of both the government and the public. The onus to ensure a fulfilling and promising environment in the state lies with both the state and its people. Violence against women and bomb blasts, by and large, occupied much reporting space in 2013. While, police action has been prompt in certain cases, there were also instances when the police were found wanting in both sensibility and enthusiasm. There is a growing apprehension among the general public on whether this unresponsiveness of the police could be attributed to the reported involvement of its personnel in several serious cases.
Amidst such a scenario, the public seem to have its own interpretation of justice, mob justice, which a right minded individual could only define as unbridled insanity. How else could one explain the presence of a mob and its justice after almost every violent incident in the state if not in all cases? 2013 also witnessed an unaccounted rise in the number of such insanity, when the mob took the law into its own hands and sometimes even attacking the law enforcers. Unless this insanity is put under control when it is still possible, there is every possibility that it could get more and more threatening, and defeat the very foundation of democracy if allowed to grow unchecked. There is a visible aloofness between the police and the public growing, which has led to the rising of the popular belief that the trust of the people in the police is at the down at the moment, and subsequently to the rise of such unwanted mob violence. It is evident enough from this popular belief that the key to any answer to any issue lies in the co-operation between the public and the state, especially with the state police. Any answer to issues confronting the society lies in the co-operation of the public and the state.
Amidst such popular feelings, the assurance of the new state DGP to put winning public confidence as his top priority comes in as a much awaited respite. Change also means new promises and surprises, and so, what better timing for the police department to work on the commitment for a healthy and better relation. As much as the public would like to see the police chief work on his commitment, there is no denying, he would himself like the full co-operation of both the public and his force in realising his enterprise.
A couple of weeks later, everyone will be so engrossed in the festivities and planning for the new-year ahead that all would be forgotten. While the advent of a new-year calls for celebration, it is also the time for all to retrospect on the ending year, and make the new year all the more promising and industrious.