|
|
| Headlines Vol. 2 Issue7-8 | June 22- July 6 , 1999 |
Saying 'no' to extortion Astra Surya Mandal (48) and his son (20) owned a provision store at Anand Bazar in Bongaigaon district of Assam. On May 24, a group of militants burst into their shop and began firing at them, unmindful of the crowd in the market place. Just as an injured Surya Mandal rushed out of the shop, two of the militants went after him to catch him. Meanwhile his son fell to the assailant's bullets. On seeing his son being shot, Surya Mandal stopped and bullet fired by one of the militants killed him. The deed done, the militants walked past the shocked bystanders, as if nothing had happened. The killings evoke a sense of deja vu. In the North-East, wherever people have refused to submit to extortion by militants, they have had to pay the price with their lives. Since Surya Mandal and his son had not paid the money demanded by the militants, they had to be taught a lesson. And death-threats are easier done than said. Recently, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) served an extortion notice on a member of the Assam legislative assembly no less for Rs. 5 lakh and warned that if he did not pay up by June 14, the outfit would be compelled to take steps against him. In early 1999, the NDFB had served extortion notices on businessmen in the Fancy Bazar area, the heart of trading in the North-East for amounts ranging from Rs. 5 lakh to a crore and warned of 'dire consequences' if they did not 'assist the revolutionary goal'. The Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), another outfit, has also been active in Nalbari district of lower Assam for more than three months now. It has fixed the amounts to be collected on the basis of profession, income and property. Accordingly, the amount for Grade I, II, III and IV government employees have been fixed at Rs. 400, Rs. 250, Rs. 150 and Rs. 30 every month respectively. Weekly bazar have been classified on the basis of size of their transactions, with the amounts ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1 lakh every month. But these are no longer going unprotested. Individual victims may be helpless but collective voice is rising. On June 13, 1999, a procession was taken out by the citizens of Barpeta road (Barpeta district) in which people from all walks of life and political persuasion participated. The procession converged into a big public meeting in which the speakers unequivocally condemend the UGs for murder, looting, extortion, etc. and urged the people not to pay extortion money nor to provide shelter to the UGs. Kangleipak Communist Party, a militant outfit in Manipur, forced the closure of a branch of the State Bank of India at Imphal. All it took was a single messenger with a letter demanding Rs. 2 lakh from the bank, along with a warning that if the payment was refused, dire consequences would follow. Another branch of the bank at Tseminyu, located at about 50 kms. from Kohima has remained closed for the last three months following a similar demand letter from the NSCN. All is not lost yet. The tide is slowly rising against the militants as people are learning to say 'no' to extortion. Among the first to show the way were the petrol pump owners of Imphal, who, under the aegis of the 'United Petroleum Traders and Transporters Association' recently closed shop for several days at a stretch, to protest against demand letters served on them by militant groups. The shopkeepers of Imphal, acting in response to a call given by the All Traders Joint Action Committee, also followed suit. So did hair-cutting saloons in the town, when militant groups served demand letters on the Barbers Association. During May, the United Zomi Organisation, the apex body of the Zou tribe of Manipur, held a meeting which resolved not to allow any militant outfit to collect money from the Zous. In some cases, people have gone a step further. The representatives of the 'All Manipur Road Transport and Drivers and Motor Workers' recently complained to the police that forcible 'tax' collections were being made by the NSCN (IM) at Khuzama, located near Mao on the Manipur-Nagaland border. In Nagaland, shops and business establishments were closed during March 16-20, in response to a call given by the Kohima Chamber of Commerce, to protest against growing 'anti-social' activities leading to increased insecurity in the business community. The businessmen of Dimapur have already observed a bandh, to protest against forcible 'tax' collections by the NSCN (IM) even as it is engaged in peace talks with the Central Government. Protests have also echoed in Mokokchung town, where the business community has formed an organisation called the 'Mokokchung Shop and Business Syndicate' to unitedly oppose any attempts by the NSCN (IM) or the NSCN (K) to intensify extortions in the area. Almost all the Naga tribal associations, meeting the NSCN (IM) leaders Isak Swu and Muivah recently, have bitterly complained of extortion and corrupt activities of the NSCN (IM) cadres. The protest was so persistent that both the leaders were forced to admit the seriousness of the grievance and assured remedial measures to prevent such activities. However, these assurances have meant little as the extortions by the NSCN (IM) cadres continue unabated. Forcible extortions in Wokha (Nagaland) resulted in the assault of two government officials, a sub-divisional officer (PWD) on June 7 and another district education officer on June 9 by the NSCN (IM) cadres for their refusal to realise the so-called 'tax', an euphemism for extortion, at the rate of 24 per cent of one month salary of employees working under them. As always, there will be a price to pay. And, as always, it is the common man who will have to pay the price. Was it not the common man who suffered the most when the petrol pumps had been closed down, forcing all vehicles to go off the roads? But who cares? For the militants, the signs are ominous. The murmur of protests everywhere is threatening to grow into a rumble. |
| | Oriental Times(Headlines) | Nena Home Page | |
Your Visit No
.