I was quite aghast on reading the above news item when it made front page news on the hardcopy of this daily on 21st July 2009. I was at Dimapur on leave for a few days at that time. Guwahati being where I am presently based as I'm in a transferable job. I expected that such acts of vandalism and incidences of theft in a place like the hallowed grounds of the WW II Cemetery at Kohima would evoke a spontaneous outcry and strong condemnation by all concerned citizens and Civil Organisations of Nagaland. But I was nonplussed when the only reaction I saw to the above news item was absolute silence. No voices of condemnation. No reaction at all. I waited eagerly, scanning subsequent issues of your paper hoping to see a reaction from some quarter. But I was disappointed. I wondered, have we as citizens no concern for the few monuments that we have in our state that find a place in world history? Lets face it, if it were not for the War Memorial at Kohima, we as Nagas really do not have much to showcase to the world. Believe me folks when I say that if it were not for the fact that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is funding the maintenance of this cemetery, you and I very well know in what shambles it would have been had it been in the hands of our State Govt.- perhaps there would not even have been a cemetery seeing the trend of encroachment on Govt. property. I for one strongly condemn the incidences of theft of the bronze plates from the grave stones at the war memorial. I have visited the cemetery several times and I get misty eyed every time I stop to read the epitaphs of those who died so young for a cause they were called to defend. I understand that the authorities managing the cemetery have done the needful in so far as lodging of FIRs are concerned and hopefully the police will do their utmost to nab the culprits. But I urge all concerned citizens and civil organizations to strongly condemn such incidences occurring in the War Memorial and also mobilize the State Govt. to put in place a mechanism that will prevent the occurrences of such incidences in future. It would perhaps not be out of place to mention here that incidences of desecrating or vandalizing cemeteries have never occurred in our state in the past. But of late perhaps in the last ten years I have noticed that there has been a trend to target cemeteries for making a quick buck. Instances of iron grills erected around someone’s dearly departed gone missing from the grave, Beautiful silk flowers left to adorn the final resting place of a deceased family member stolen before you have wiped the tears from your eyes. It has happened to my brother’s grave at Dimapur in the Naga Cemetery. One wonders how many such thefts have occurred in the past few years? I do remember an occasion when some vigilantes had apprehended some migrant labourers caught in the act of stealing silk flowers left in the cemetery. The cops I suggest should look into that angle. But to target a War Memorial, I think its time these thieves are taught a lesson.
As for those young offenders who play truant from school and have the gall to use the cemetery for indulging their penchant for drinking alcohol, sniffing themselves stupid with stuff like dendrite and other harmful chemicals as well as littering those hallowed ground with plastic, empty cans and bottles, etc., well my only suggestion is that since they are all underage kids trying to act grown-up they might as well get a taste of what grown ups get when they break the law or indulge in anti-social acts, - put them in the lock up. A day in a Juvenile detention camp irrespective of gender should hopefully drill some sense into their thick skulls and also bring it to the notice of their parents who I am sure are blissfully unaware of what their children are up to. Perhaps this is where the State Govt. can rope in the NGOs for aiding them in preventing such wayward and delinquent behaviour. I would suggest that a mechanism should be put in place wherein offenders are brought to book immediately and punishment awarded through an existing body such as the peoples courts. Youths apprehended may be sentenced to a month’s community service or more depending on the degree of their offence. In fact to begin with they should be made to clean up all the litter in the war memorial, made to scrub off all the graffiti and sweep the grounds of the cemetery.
The State Govt. can also contribute to ensuring that the sanctity of such a memorial is maintained by having security personnel man vulnerable points where such offenders sneak in. And as for the public, apart from you and me lodging our individual protests and being vigilant, I urge Civil organizations to also take up cudgels on such issues and ensure that the only War Memorial in the state is treated with reverence and respect and is not allowed to degrade to a breeding ground for anti-social elements.
PLEASE WAKE UP AND MAKE A NOISE FOR A GOOD CAUSE.
Tiakala
