Despite decades-long ceasefire agreements between insurgent groups and the Indian State in the North-east, ‘extra-judicial killings’ continue unabated By Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 14 June 2021 Article 21 of the Indian Constitution affirms that “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”. The protection of life is the most important […]
» Read moreDebates and conflicts are raging over attempts to declare the sacred mountain in Manipur as a ‘protected site’ By Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 3 May 2021. The politics of forest reservation, protected forests and wildlife sanctuaries is nothing new, ever since the Indian Forest Act of 1878 was passed. The declaration of certain areas as “reserved” or “protected” forests and […]
» Read moreThe widespread proliferation of virtual digital assistants, which use voice recognition, could increase language endangerment, especially for people from the North-east By Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 19 April 2021 Artificial intelligence is changing the world rapidly and has impacted our life and imagination. Big tech companies are increasing their funding on research for the advancement of AI and the integration […]
» Read moreA carrot and stick policy should be adopted to end illicit poppy cultivation in the hills of Manipur and ensure equitable rural development By Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 15 March 2021 In the last couple of months, the Narcotics and Affairs of Border wing of Manipur Police, assisted by the Manipur Rifles, was strenuously engaged in destroying illicit poppy cultivation […]
» Read moreBy Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 8 February 2021 On 3 July 2020, the Government of Nagaland decided to ban dog meat in the state. Then chief secretary Temjen Toy tweeted about this decision, “The State Government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked”. […]
» Read moreBy Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 4 January 2021, p. 11. Intentionally presumptuous racism permeates the lives of North-easterners in metropolitan cities of India, which the new anti-racism bill also fails to take note of. Incidents of racism against Indians from the North-east are not new, especially during the last two decades in mainland metropolitan cities of India. The opening of […]
» Read moreThe cultivation of poppy in the hills of Manipur should be taken as a crisis of agriculture THONGKHOLAL HAOKIP The Statesman, 30 November 2020. In 2018, a year after he came to power, the N Biren Singh government launched a “war on drugs” to curb trafficking, illicit crop cultivation and consumption. The Narcotics and Affairs of Border department of Manipur […]
» Read moreBy Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, October 12, 2020 On 7 October, 249 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Manipur, among whom 234 were local residents without travel histories and six were personnel from the Central Armed Police Force. Only nine were visitors or returnees to the state, which is just 3.6 per cent of the total number to have tested positive […]
» Read moreBy Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, 14 September 2020 Community based organisations in the hills of the North-east are imposing time tested traditional systems of local governance during the pandemic In these times, social distancing is an important public health measure to combat the extremely contagious coronavirus disease. There is a doubt about the practicability of social distancing in India given our […]
» Read moreThe mass stifling of college teachers in Manipur through imposition of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules is an impairment of their profession Thongkholal Haokip The Statesman, September 1, 2020 PDF On 10 August 2020, the Nongthombam Biren Singh government in Manipur, through the Directorate of University and Higher Education, issued an office memorandum enforcing the Central Civil Services (Conduct) […]
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