The act of untrammeled barbarism of taking law into one’s hand and killing another human by dispensing jungle justice to criminals or perceived criminals reveals a sad Nagaland where death has become cheap and ubiquitous. It reveals that the Nagas are fraught with inherent danger because of the near absence of proper governance in the state and the vigilantism taken up by some of its citizen.
What is the meaning of having law enforcing agency like that of Nagaland Police? Policing is first and foremost about maintenance of law and order. The prevention of crime comes to the fore in the discharge of this responsibility by the police and if a vigilante group gone out of control take it as their duty to the extend of handing out capital punishment, how can one expect law and order to prevail in the state? Most importantly, if these vigilantes starts acting on their whims like that of prosecution and conviction, it will only erode public’s confidence in the law enforcing agency - which we do not want. Even if the operation of vigilante groups be allowed, which I am against as eventually it will become uncontrollable, it should be structured to work in tandem with the police, to whom they would turn over accused criminals.
Arrests have been made in connection with this heinous crime committed by KVYO on the 31st of Aug. 2012 and punishment should be given to those arrested as per the law but the Sumis refrained from pressing the issue and making further comments or actions against KVYO not because the were right but for peaceful coexistence among Naga brothers but if KVYO thinks this act of silence as a form of submission, they are very wrong and would like to advice them from trying to clarify themselves as everyone knows who is right and who is wrong and that such act will do nothing good but will only take us to more unwanted situations, unless it is in their interest to renew 31st Aug impasse. If so, they must have forgotten what ‘forgive and forget’ mean in our christian faith. Remember that the Sumis have kept our end of the bargain because the victim’s father of the 31st Aug. forgave the barbarians ‘in the name of God.’ If we are to press it on, the dead of a man under your custody, no matter how you try to justify was a result of your torture and will stand in any court of law and your QRT will be convicted.
We Nagas should be stressing and insisting on a paradigm shift in the policing strategy of the Nagaland Police for crime prevention rather than doing ‘merry go round’ by blame one another or trying to justify our actions. That is, if we really want a better place to live in.
Kughaho Sumi
Lhomithi Colony
Dimapur
