Bust statue of Hijam Irawat unveiled

Wide Angle Social Development Organization, Sagolband Moirang Hanuba in observance of the 115^th birth anniversary of Lamyanba Hijam Irawat inaugurated a bust statue of the leader at its official complex on September 30,2011.

The inaugural function was graced by Retd. Wing Commander Ahanthem Hemchand, General Secretary of Moirang Hanuba Youth Development Organization (MYDC) Oinam Mangilal as the Chief Guest and President of the function.

Senior journalist and founder member of Manipur Human Rights Commission Yambem Laba was the guest of honor.

After paying floral tributes to the memory of the martyr. The Chief Guest, Ahanthem Hemchand unveiled the bust of Hijam Irawat.

The occasion also saw participation from children of CRY in a cultural function held afterwards. 

Convention on RTE stresses on need of a monitoring body

IMPHAL, September 29: A one day district convention on “Right to Free and Compulsory Education”(RTE) was held at Yurembam Awang High School today. The convention was jointly organized by Yurembam Apunba Club and Manipur Alliance for Child Rights.

N Nimai, retired joint director, education (s) graced the convention as the chairperson.

Special invitees including Gopi Mohan, Zonal Education Office, zone II, Yaima, deputy inspector, Zone I, L Chaobihal Devi, pradhan of Yurembem gram panchayat, Y Laba, senior journalist and founder member of Manipur Human Rights Commission and Pradip Kumar, convener of Manipur Alliance for Child Rights attended the convention and delivered their comments on the Right to Education Act, 2009.

Among the speakers, Pradip Kumar stressed that the Act has not been implemented in totality in the state and the children of the state have been deprived of their fundamental rights.

Comparing the right to education with the right to life, he said that to monitor the RTE Act from the grass-root level, the School Monitoring Committee (SMC) system have been instituted under the provision of the act to observe the conduct of the teachers and the functioning of the school so that the children may get the facilities so provided under the act.

He mentioned that a SMC committee consisting of 14 members should be constituted for every school and half of the committee should comprise of women as per the norms given.

Under the act there are provisions for exemption of 25 percent from the admission fees of the students during times of enrollment in private schools since the inception of the act.

“The students studying in class I should avail the facility in private schools, as the RTE have been in implementation from the previous year onwards, yet the private schools are still to address the issue”, he said.

“There should be no screening exams conducted for the admission of students to the private schools so as to ensure free and fair education, yet it still goes on regardless”, he added.

Mentioning the hindrances in the RTE act by the departments concerned, he said that the implementing body of the RTE, officials of the concerned education (s) department when approached were also confused in their stance regarding implementation of the Act in totality.

He stressed on the need of a monitoring body to oversee the implementing authority of the RTE for better transparency and providing the amenities under the Act.

“The need to institute the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is the need of the hour as such a body can monitor and fill the voids left lacking post implementation of the RTE Act”, he said.

Yambem Laba, also in a similar assertion stated that the state have been in a cesspool of corruption owing to many factors and has inherently affected the education sector.

He said that corrections in the system cannot be made overnight, but have to begin systematically from the grass root level onwards and will take time.

“Every individual or official has a large role to play in addressing the effective realization of the RTE , the requirement is to maintain one’s ideology and selfless endeavour in working to bring about a better system of delivering quality education by the government schools”, he said.

He further stated that behind the guise of non state actors, anti social elements have been preying on the infrastructure development of schools for monetary gains, such actions should be differed by the concerned and must have the courage to face the adversity to bring about a holistic change in the education sector and otherwise, he said.

The convention also saw participation from the attendees in an interaction session with officials from the education department.

It may be mentioned that the RTE Act, 2009 provides free and compulsory education to children from six to fourteen years of age besides other facilities of free text books, uniform, schoolbags, provision of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities among others.

http://www.ifp.co.in/imphal-free-press-full-story.php?newsid=1929&catid=1 

Testimony of Sh. Leimakhujam Kokullo Singh

I, Sh. Leimakhujam Kokullo Singh aged about 47 years, S/O Sh. Leimakhujam Kulachandra Singh, R/O Haorang Keirel Leikai, P.O. Patsoi, P.S. Patsoi, District Imphal West, 795003, presently residing at temporary plastic makeshift tent at Sanakeithel Market, Lamphelpat, Imphal East District, selling seasonal fruits along with my wife. I have one daughter, Miss Purnima, 15 years old reading in class VIII at Lalambung Government School.

I was a normal person living a healthy and happy life with my beautiful wife and daughter. However, life took a drastic change with the two unforgettable happenings in my life. The incidents took away my normal physical posture and turn me into a physically challenged person which I have to live with it for the rest of my life.

The first incident took place in the year 1993. I had return from Tamenglong after doing some work there and was celebrating a small party with my friends at my house. After the party, I went to drop my friends till our gate, I saw a parked vehicle and I prompted to my friends that the vehicle might get hit by the bullock cart parking in the darkness. I was little rude in my tone as I was inebriated. Few people, suspected to be militants, were sitting in the darkness and they replied back so, we had an altercation. I threatened them and tried to set the vehicle on fire. My friends and relatives came out on hearing the altercation and stopped me from setting the vehicle on fire. We were pacified and they went away. After a lapse of 15 days on 3^rd July 1993, several armed persons, suspected to be militants belonging to the valley groups, came to our house at night and called me out at the gate. My father ran after me and begged them to spare my life. One of the people pushed my father and hit him with the rifle butt severely on his left lower back which made him paralyze for the rest of his life.  I was dragged out at the gate then one of them took out a gun and shot me on my right thigh at very close range. They disappeared after finishing their job.

I went for treatment several times with three major operations and failed to undergo the fourth and the final operation, where they were suppose to remove the bullet lodged inside the bone. I was able to do the fourth operation due to financial difficulties. The operation and injury severely affected my right leg and made me a cripple. I know, I was ruined as I was not able to go out for earning. I had no option, so I started earning from vegetable gardening at home with my wife and daughter. Life went on with great difficulty and my daughter was at home helping us without going to school due to financial constraints.

The second incident took place in the year 2010. On 3^rd August 2010, I was returning home with my wife and elder sister from Lilong around 3-4 p.m., (we went for medication of my sisters broken right hand), on a passenger auto rickshaw. We were stopped by the Army near Patsoi Police Station, all the male passengers were frisked and released except me, and I was told to board their vehicle gypsy without issuing arrest memo. I was blindfolded and taken to Patsoi Police station nearby. They asked several times to which group of insurgents I belong. The Manipuri speaking army dictated several names and asked me if I knew anyone of them. I disagreed I had no idea or connection with insurgents. My mobile was seized and later when I received a call from my brother, they prompted me to tell the caller I was in the market place in Imphal. I had no idea what their motive was behind.

They took me inside the adjoining room, made me lie on the floor, my hands and legs were tied and a huge log of wood was put under my neck. They started pouring buckets of water on my face and shouted how I helped the KCP (MC). I remained silent as I had no idea about their questions. The torture of pouring water went on for several hours (2-3 hours). I suffocated, swallowed plenty of water and suffered in silence. They made me sit in the dry area for few minutes and told me to reveal all the activities of KCP (MC).

I refused to give any information, so I was put in the room for the second time and they continued pouring water. One of them slapped me and plenty of water went inside and I started vomiting. I felt so terrible and dreadful, I felt I will never come out of this and live again with my family. Again, I was made to sit in the dry room and for the third time they started pouring water on my face for revealing information. However I refused to give information which I didn’t know. They continued asking where I deliver arms and ammunition for the insurgents.

Next, one of the army tied electric wire on my second toes of both the feet while I remain lying on the floor and electrocuted me. I lost my consciousness and whenever I regain my consciousness I was electrocuted again. The electrocution went on repeatedly three times and my condition became very dreadful. I felt so painful and horrible I completely lost my consciousness. They had no sympathy over my impaired limbs and tortured me so brusquely; I never knew I would come out from their confinement.

When I regained my consciousness, I was lying on the floor, hands and feet still tied and eyes blindfolded. I noticed that the cloth they had used for blindfolding me was my own white vest which was all stained with my blood from the torture. I could feel I was lying somewhere outside and my battered body was half covered with a sheet of cloth. I felt pain all over my body and with a slight move I could severely feel the extreme pain. Behind me the clock struck 4 am. I started imaging that they will finally release me as they had stopped the torture and interrogation and since they were not able to divulge any information from me. One of them brought some food and forced me to eat, I refused to eat as I was tied and suffering painfully. He forced me and said if I refused to eat, I would be killed. I was forced fed three to four mouthful of food. Out of fear and panic, I swallowed the unpleasant food with great difficulty.

On 4^th of August 2010, one Sub Inspector of Nambol Police Station came in the morning around 6-7 am along with his subordinates and hit me where I was lying. They asked what I knew about the KCP (MC). They hit me on my neck 4-5 times, folded back my hands and feet roughly like breaking a twig and left hastily. I overheard them telling the army, they had tortured in a wrong manner and therefore I was not able to reveal any information.

They again interrogated and asked which group I worked for and which arms they should use in order to kill me. They left me in this position till 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Then, I was lifted from my shoulder by two army men (as I was too frail and pathetic from their torture) and put me inside the vehicle gypsy. They took me around for a while and I developed the fear that I would definitely be killed on false account of being an insurgent. I was blindfolded, however I could feel they were driving towards Khumbong and were driving without destination. The captain of the army got down from our vehicle and through the wireless operator asked what they should do with me in Hindi. Then as if heeding the instruction we drove towards Nambol. Two army men lifted me from the shoulder and dragged me towards the PHSC of Nambol. I nearly fell when they made me walk alone; one of them kicked from behind with his heavy boots and instructed me to walk straight and properly to look fit and fine. Two young ladies doctor were present at health centre and the army instructed them to medicate me quickly and not mention or write in the subscription about the injury on my body. The two doctors refused flatly and called the Nambol police station. Few policemen turned up and gave the same instruction to the doctors not to mention on the prescription about the injury and instead they should write that the person was in good normal health.

Thereafter, we returned to Patsoi Police station and the I.O Sh. Ibochou Singh on seeing my condition told the army I was not in good health and around 7-8 p.m. took me to Regional Institute of medical Sciences at Lamphelpat for medical examination. I was medicated with few medicines and was in the custody of the police for the night.

Next day I was interrogated again and made me narrate my life story from the day I was born to my parents (without forgetting any events) till the moment I was apprehended by the army. They never stopped asking for which insurgent group I belong. I was afraid they would kill me all the while I was in their custody. I was not tortured however the apprehension of what was going to happen remained on my mind. I had to be careful and clear in answering their questions remained on my mind all the time. They even clicked my photograph with a plate mentioned that I belong to KCP (MC) group of faction.

Next day, i.e. on 6^th August 2010, I was taken to CID office and the same process of interrogation and narration of my life story continued and was conducted by the CID agents. They also repeated the same question- “for which insurgent group I belong”. I narrated the same story as was told to the police the previous day. My narration was same as was told to the police. Meanwhile the anxiety and anxious feeling of being tortured again and going through the moment of suffocation from pouring water and electrocution remains inside me throughout the time. I saw people being tortured and their screams and shouts rings inside my head all the time I was in their interrogation cell. I was relieved when they took me back to Patsoi police station. I thanked to God for saving me from their torture and harassment. The spirit that I may be released from their custody developed within me. My answers to their queries were same so I might be released again to reunite with my family, contained within me.

My injuries were still paining and my face was swollen. My wife and my elder sister visited me with home-cooked food. They were so remorse to see my battered and worn out situation, we were all speechless and helpless and we all cried together. I was not able to face them, I felt so ashamed and guilty. The army had tortured me with no concrete reason and my family members were all afraid and troubled for my dear life. I came to know from my wife, that, with the help of Human Rights organization, on the day I was captured, they had telecasted on ISTV about my arrest and disappearance and where I was taken away quietly.

I kept on recalling my family members at home during the ordeal; I could not do anything to the army and the police as well. Without any reason they have tortured to their hearts content and made me more helpless and impaired. In order to control my anger and hatred I felt like taking revenge, however, I am not young anymore, I have a wife and daughter to look after, so I need to control my anger and remain silent and somber.

On 7^th August 2010, I was taken to Kangla for interrogation. I was blindfolded on the way. The same process of interrogation and narration of my life story continued and repeated the same question- “for which insurgent group I belong”. I narrated the same story as was narrated on previous two days. My narration was same as was told to the police and CID. Then I was taken back to Police custody.

On 8^th and 9^th August 2010 I was taken to Cheirap Court for appearance before the Magistrate. I was freed on 9^th August 2010 and the Magistrate told me I don’t have to appear before the Court again as my case is not binding on any ground. I was very happy. After the release, I went home with my family members, offered prayers and went to RIMS for medical checkup at the casualty.

The post torture days were spent with great difficulty. I developed complications in breathing; my right impaired leg was paining excessively owing to electrocution and my body ached owing to repeated beating and torture. Before I was able to walk without the help of walking stick, however, after the torment, it has become my second friend. I remained bedridden for 2 months without any income. My father suffered grievously owing to my condition. He could not sleep at night and the rest of the family members were afraid throughout the night. Nights are supposed to be for taking rest, however in our case we were restless, petrified and alarmed what was going to happen. The intuitions that the army might appear again take me away and might undergo the same process of beating and torture, arise almost all the time. I don’t want to stay at home fearing the army. Seriously, I don’t want to go through the suffering and agony I had endured during the custody. I could go away for work but the anxiety of what will we answer if they happen to come and arrest me while I am away for work, made me extremely perturbed.

Even so, I gathered courage thinking for my daughter and decided to venture out for earning money. My daughter had stopped going to school due to financial constraints. I decided with my wife to sell vegetables and fruits. Now, we are selling seasonal fruits at Sanakeithel, Lamphelpat. Since it is far from our house, we are residing at the temporary make shift tent covered with plastic sheet at the market area. It is horrible when it rains but I cannot move freely owing to my heath constraints. I looked after the fruits at night and my wife goes home sometimes and she has to collect the fruits from the retailer for selling in our vendor. My daughter has started her education once more and studying in standard VIII at Lalambung Government High School.

Life has to continue with so many constraints and complications. My memory very often reflects back at the horrendous incidents. The consequences have simply put my life to so many limitations. I am not normal human being anymore. The anxiety, fear on seeing the army and police, the apprehension of being arrested again, uneasiness at night –all these fear psychosis prevail over me and family all the time. The phobia shall remain for the rest of my life.

Leimakhujam Kokullo Singh

Note: This case was filed before the National Human Rights Commission on 3^rd August 2011 as per the advice from Mr. Y. Laba – Former member of the Manipur State Human Rights Commission through on line.

Testimony of Smt. Mutum (O) Bimola Devi

I, Smt. Mutum (O) Bimola Devi aged about 43 years, W/O (L) Sh. Mutum Ibohal Singh, R/O Yurembam Maning Leikai, P.O. Patsoi, P.S. Patsoi, District Imphal West, 795003, works at the brick kiln factory located 2-3 kilometers away from my house and I receive a salary of Rs.3000/- p.m.  I have four children, Master Jonson, 14 years reading in class 7, Master Roshan, 12 years reading in class 4, Miss Rosita, 10 years reading in class 3 and Miss Sangeeta, 7 years reading in class 1, all are reading in  the Yurembam Government High School.

When my husband was alive, he earned his living working as a contractor and we had a poultry farm in our residential house. We were sufficient and happy with what he earned. He was friendly with one Pheiroijam Pungcha and I did not appreciate his company because there was a rumor in our locality that he connection with the underground cadre belonging to the Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council).

One day, I heard them discussing that there was a demand to the Pradhan of our locality from the group KCP (MC) for 7 mobile handsets and they should go for delivering the handsets to the cadres. I got very upset and made several attempts not to make him go with Pheiroijam Pungcha for delivering the handsets. I tore his pants and shirts on various accounts in order to prevent him from going. He also made several attempts to go and failed on many accounts.

However, on 18^th June 2008, he took dresses from his younger brother and went away quickly with Pheiroijam Pungcha on the pretext of delivering the handsets to Moirang and he promised that he would be back very soon. He did not return for many days, so our family members asked and searched for him in many places. We could not find him and I started presuming something bad must have happened to him.

On 29^th June 2008, we received a phone call from the State Police informing us about the death of my husband and his accomplice Pheiroijam Pungcha. We were told to collect their bodies, lying in the morgue of RIMS. I got hilarious on the news of the death of my husband. We went to collect his death body and came to know that he was shot in an encounter. We were told that several documents belonging to KCP (MC) along with a pistol 9mm were found in their possession at time of the encounter.  I went to the morgue with my in-laws, relatives and locality people. My husband’s body was already decomposed when we collected it from the morgue, it appears that he was killed many days back and the police gave the information lately. When I checked his decomposed body, there were several inflicted injuries on his right thigh and four bullet holes injury could be seen on his head. It seems my husband was harassed and tortured before he was shot to death. I felt so terrible and miserable, I got very angry, cursed the police who killed my husband. I became depressed and cried along with my children that we have been left all alone to live on our own and thousands of question occurred on my mind, how could this happened to a person who was an innocent citizen.

I pleaded to my family members and local people to hold rally and to form a JAC (Joint Action Committee), but my appeal fell upon deaf ears. There was no commotion against the alleged fake encounter and everyone remained silent as they have the apprehension that the police will come and harass them in future. There was no magisterial inquiry for further investigation of the matter and the matter became a closed chapter.

The underground cadres KCP (MC) published in the newspaper that my husband and his accomplice were not members of their group and they do not have knowledge and responsibility over his death.

I developed numerous problems after the death of my husband, starting from financial problem to adjustment with my family members. I started developing self discrimination. My family members were good to me and my children, and were helpful however I started getting lower inferiority complex and felt guilty over minor issues. At night when I go out for natures call, I do not feel comfortable moving around inside the house passing through the rooms. I get conscious that I am a nuisance and a burden to my family members. With the guilty conscience I shifted to the other house located in our courtyard which was used for poultry farming when my husband was alive. I made few necessary renovations and moved in along with my children. I do not depend on anyone and I suffered all alone. I always feel guilty and get conscious without any reason most of the time. I was a simple housewife when my husband was alive and hardly went out from the locality. Now, I have to go out, work and earn to support my children. Life has changed drastically after the death of my husband. After his death I developed fear psychosis, anxiety, depression and self discrimination. Whenever I come across the police I become scared and do my best to avoid. I feel I am a burden to the society and do not wish to attend celebration, festivals or entertainment programs. I am living and working for the sake of my children.

Smt. Mutum (O) Bimola Devi 

Wide Angle Social Development Organization: Lamphel Yaipha Leikai Forced Eviction Victims

www.thesangaiexpress.com/show-by-line-story.php?authorid=257

A surviving victim of torture

A surviving victim of torture who is living with a bullet locked inside the bones of his right thigh and had a miraculous escape from  multiple torture and organised violence by by the State  and Non- State actors, the victim was first shot at the leg by some armed persons and sympathisers of a well known armed group in the year 1993 for confronting them in some minor local  issue, he underwent 3 surgeries but due to medical negligence he lost his ability to walk and had to depend on a crutches.  He still carries the gun bullet inside his right thigh which was unable to remove it by the Doctors who had operated on him. He was again tortured in the recent years by the  STATE ARMED FORCES  severely and beaten black and blue that he could not eat and attend natural call on his own and remained bed ridden for about one and half month. 

Lamphel Yaipha Leikai Forced Eviction Victims

Misusing the Law and Failure of Justice —A Case of Lamphel Yaipha Leikai Eviction —

The Government has successfully executed eviction policies at Lamphel Yaipha Leikai. It appears that in the absence of legal interventions to such arbitrary and illegal eviction moves, the Government has misconceived that all its policies can be executed without any question of justifiability and reasonableness.

Eviction order in Eviction Case No. 3 of 2011 was issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Lamphel, Imphal West on 3rd June, 2011 following instructions from DC Imphal West under the Manipur Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1978 read with the Government of Manipur Secretariat, Local Self Government Department Notification No. 11/3/78 – LSP (UP) dated 31/03/1981 wherein the unauthorised occupants of Lamphel Yaipha Leikai were directed to vacate latest by evening of 5th June, 2011 failing which eviction will be carried out against the unauthorised occupants without further notice.

Some provisions of the Manipur Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1978 (MPPA, 1978) can be taken into account. Section 3 (ii) of the MPPA 1978 provides that satisfactory upon making an inquiry that the area under occupation is unauthorised occupation an eviction order can be made within three days from the date of such proclamation. In the instant case, while the eviction order was formally issued on 3rd June, 2011 the same was not delivered or served upon till morning of 5th June, 2011 which was the last day of vacating the premises. This is insensible and non-sense. The MPP law has been flagrantly violated by the enforcing authorities of the eviction order. The fundamental judicial question herein is that even if the 17 or more families have been occupying the area illegally, they cannot be vacated illegally. This is a core principle of justice which cannot be subdued by any human norm or it is a peremptory norm of jus cogens. The illegality of enforcing the eviction order is manifestly seen in the manner the eviction order was served and executed. The time given to vacate living premises is 12 hours time only. How can living premises be vacated in night time? This is ridiculous on the part of the administration. Why was there a delay in serving the notice to the inhabitants of the area? Why the order was not delivered on the same day it was issued i.e. on 3rd June, 2011 itself? Was the delay deliberate on the part of the issuing authority? How can you say that I have an order for eviction so vacate the area within 12 hours or force would be used to enforce the orders? The people are whatsoever the reasons of their residing in that area, also bonafide citizens of Manipur as the SDO, Lamphel, Works Minister and other Police officers are. They are also human beings and not animals. To vacate a living area within a 12 hours time is extremely arbitrary and nonsense. Would the SDO vacate his/her living premises within 12 hours time by an order of the Government? Where has the rationality of the mind disappeared? When high ranking public officials disrespect defenceless people who are lowly situated, what sense is inculcated in the minds of the common people? Show of power and authority or threat to subdue! What is the “public” in the Public Officer and Public Policy?

The notion of providing notice does not necessarily mean merely serving it for name sake only. Notice is provided so that sufficient time is given to the party who is affected or going to be affected to enable him/her to defend properly. Notice given without sufficient time to defend is not notice but it is dictating intimidation that if you fail to do as directed upon action befalls you. This is something alien to the administrative jurisprudence of providing notice. The whole eviction procedure is devoid of any justiceship. The men of Justice in the Judiciary have failed to underscore this stark reality. The position of natural justice in administrative action is thus illustrated by one case among others. The Supreme Court in Sangram Singh versus Election Tribunal, Kotah (AIR 1995 SCC 425, 429, (1995) SCJ 431) stated “….our laws of procedure are grounded on a principle of natural justice which requires that men should not be condemned unheard, that decisions should not be reached behind their backs, that proceedings that affect the lives and property should not continue in their absence and that they should not be precluded from participating in them”.

That the principles of natural justice in the instant case have been violated is crystal clear from the facts and circumstances leading finally to the eviction. The consequences that were meted out to the inhabitants of Lamphel Yaipha Leikai are shocking to the human heart and conscience. Families who have been forcefully evicted have to face innumerable challenges. They have found nowhere to relocate themselves in a better and safer place than the adjoining areas surrounded by overflowing water at Lamphel Yaipha Leikai. Right to life does not mean mere animal existence. The Supreme Court in Shantisar Builders versus Narayanan Khimalal Totame (AIR 1990 SC 630) stated that right to life includes right to food, clothing, decent environment and reasonable accommodation to live in. What differentiates animal and human needs is that for animal it is the bare protection of the body while for a human being it has to be suitable accommodation which allows him/her to grow in all aspects – physical, mental and intellectual. It means existence with humane conditions. The families at Lamphel Yaipha Leikai are living in an extremely inhumane condition. Given the unhygienic living conditions, right to health which is a necessary concomitant of the right to life is seriously threatened. These core rights of life of the families have been illegally deprived by the recent unauthorised and arbitrary eviction drive.

Water overflows their area of forced residence or refuge. Children at tender ages have to do homework and prepare for examination which was started just 10 days after the eviction drama. The eviction drive has seriously violated the Right to Education Act, 2009. The Right to Education Protection Authority, Manipur (REPA) in the absence of the Manipur State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sufficient grounds to intervene and ensure that by providing appropriate arrangement education of the children in the evicted area continues unaffected. The REPA has serious and clear statutory obligations to ensure that children between the age group of 6 to 14 years (Class I to VIII) enjoy education in the State without any kind of discrimination. What sort of psychological and physical consequences would have confronted to the young minds by the eviction drama should be best explained by the SDO, Lamphel and Works Minister, among others who were behind the eviction drama. Examination during displacement by our own Government is one such experience that would be shared by these children when they grow up. The survival question in the area hangs like death knell.

What the Public Health and Engineering Department, Manipur is doing till now is not understandable. Putting up for living in an area surrounded by overflowing water and bio-masses possess many challenges. The PHED should have distributed materials for safe living conditions. There are only 17 families as pointed out by the SDO, Lamphel in the eviction order. As such rehabilitation for 17 families is not a big problem. Rehabilitation and providing alternative hygienic humanly living conditions is a bounden obligation of the Government given the conditions under which these families are str-uggling for survival after they were forcefully evicted.

The judiciary has failed to intervene in the clear case of administrative miscarriage of justice. Newspapers have already carried out the arbitrary and unauthorised actions of the Government. That is sufficient to take cognizance and intervene in the clear case of the error in law and executive action. The judicial insensitivity has undermined the Constitutional mandate. The veins of the judiciary needs to be injected with fresh creative bloods to activate judicial interventions in clear cases of administrative misusing law, shattering rule of law and violating basic rights of the common defenseless man. The failure of the men of Justice to uphold rule of law and constitutionalism in the face of arbitrary and whimsical Government actions has negated the relevance of the institution of Judiciary.