Sounding Union Home Minister Time to make Delhi act

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been sounded on the abduction and ’still being held in captivity’ of two youths by Kuki armed militants-A statement given to the media by the president of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee K Meghachandra quoting Chief Minister N Biren straight after a joint meeting of Congress MLAs and ruling MLAs at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on September 29. All it needs to secure the release of the two abducted youths is a word from Union Home Minister Amit Shah-This is from the president of the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO). Read the two statements, both coming from different entities, and what emerges are some very clear points. Facts which have been the reality all these months and that is Imphal does not have much means at its disposal when it comes to dealing with the Kuki armed groups. Hence pressuring Delhi to act and do what is needful becomes all that more important. It is also important to question whether the Security Advisor and the DGP, men picked by Delhi but appointed under an order passed by Raj Bhavan, are answerable to the State Government or not. Why this question has been raised should be clear in the backdrop of the fact that just some time back, a hue and cry was raised to reinstate Chief Minister N Biren as the Chairman of the Unified Command and a memorandum was submitted to the Governor amidst this call. What the memorandum was all about is not very clear to the media, but that it was submitted when the demand to restore the Chairmanship of the Unified Command was at its peak, makes it all that more significant. The question of whether the one youth, out of the three previously abducted, were ‘rescued’ by the Assam Rifles or was handed to them hangs heavy in the air. If he was rescued, as initial report seemed to suggest, then from where was he rescued ? This is a point which only the Assam Rifles can tell and common sense says that the three would have been kept in somewhat close proximity. Or were they kept separately when the said youth was rescued ? And how intensive is the search conducted by the security forces ? All questions at the moment, but the very fact that these questions have been raised should underline the fact that there are just too many loose ends. And definitely the Government cannot afford to have too many loose ends while dealing with a matter as sensitive as the abduction of two youths. 
Not unexpectedly the social media is rife with comments and opinions and this seems to have been topped by the video footage of the two abducted youths pleading with the Chief Minister to do the bidding of the abductors and save their lives. The said video footage has also gone viral on the social media and experts could be at work to find out if anything may be detected from the video footage to work out the location of the two youths. However as things stand now, that is three days after the three youths went missing on September 27 evening, there is nothing to indicate that the Government is anywhere near locating or tracing them. This is where the assertion of AMUCO that all it needs is a word from the Union Home Minister to secure the release of the two youths in captivity becomes relevant and very important. And as the matter has been highlighted to Amit Shah himself, one wonders whether Delhi has made any effort to reach out to the abductors. A task that does not sound all that difficult for a Government which has steadfastly stuck to the Suspension of Operation pact with the Kuki armed groups. Imphal has to do the prodding and Delhi has to act fast and much will depend on how Chief Minister N Biren and his men are able to make the Centre respond to the tragic story that is being scripted on the soil of Manipur. The task before the Government is immense but this is what comes along with being in power and how people perceives the BJP will depend a lot on how it is able to cope with the challenges of the time. And now is the biggest challenge.