Sir,

I join you in the outrage that has been expressed in the article entitled "Condemn the state organised brutal killing of migrant workers in Manipur'' published in the April 1-15, 2008 issue of People's Voice. I would like to begin by expressing my condolences to the families of the bereaved. The extreme brutality with which working people across the length and breadth of the country are treated, here in Manipur, there in Mumbai or Kashmir, and elsewhere in the country is now a daily feature. It may be inferred that the prevailing state of affairs in the country is one in which there is simply no guarantee of safety for any working person. Therefore, events such as these are of utmost concern to all people of conscience in the land, and for those who wish to see a secure future for all the peoples living here. Attacks on the people of Manipur, or workers from elsewhere in Manipur, or elsewhere are an attack on one and all.

The article has correctly pointed out that this extreme brutality has come at a time with the people of Manipur have risen in unison, as they have on occasions in the past, to assert their rights and their dignity. Sticking out like a sore thumb is the infamous draconian law, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, an old colonial law, which was promulgated afresh in Manipur in the 1950s. The struggle against this hated law has been the rallying point for the struggle for the rights of the people of Manipur. At the heart of this is the doctrine of Uti Possidetis, a law originating from the days of the Roman Empire in which the possessions of a losing power simply goes to the winner. In the context of colonialism it has meant that when a colonial power vacated a colony, all its possessions went to the successor. This negates the rights of nations which were illegally and brutally conquered by colonial powers. Even by the standards of this dubious 'principle', the violation of Manipur is more extreme, as its integration into the Indian Union resulted from trickery and deception, subjugation of Manipur's independent constituent assembly and constitution, and outright military conquest by the Indian Union. The fact that the Special Powers Act needed to be promulgated in the 1950s proves that the region remained restive at that time, and the fact that it has not been repealed proves that it continues to remain restive.

In effect, the struggle of the people of Manipur will continue to bring to the centerstage the national question in India. The answer lies in the fact that the Indian state today is that of the big bourgeoisie, with the latter regarding all territories in the country as its backyard to exploit and plunder resources and the labour of its citizens to their enrichment. It does not countenance any challenge to its supremacy, which it simply assumes by dint of its being, and because it has legitimacy having arisen from the will of the people of India, but rather as a descendent of the colonial British state. Therefore, the Indian state is hell bent on breaking the unity of the people of Manipur. It adopts the time honoured technique of spreading fear through shadowy organizations that operate with its blessings, as pointed out in the article. The lessons of 1984, the 2002 Gujarat genocide, to name a couple are that the Indian state stops at nothing. It floats all kinds of organizations, e.g., in Chttisgarh at this time, Punjab in the 1980s to carry out the campaign of terror. The killings of Bihari labourers in Manipur have to be understood in this light.

The people of Manipur and all men and women of conscience in India need to be educated about the efforts afoot to undermine their principled struggle. This has been a continuous and ongoing process. I was hearted, in this regard, to read the report carried in the same issue of PV on the protests that taken out in Delhi, where in a united voice the killings we condemned. It is my fervent hope that the struggle for the rights of people of Manipur and those of all the peoples of India continues on an ever increasing scale.

Sincerely,
A. Narayan
Bangalore