Bimol Akoijam, the Sociology professor from JNU, became a known face in the country after he was elected to the Parliament from Manipur. The Congress MP became the voice of the strife-torn north-east state soon after a speech he made in Lok Sabha went viral. A filmmaker, Akoijam was in Kerala to inaugurate the Kadamakudy International Film Festival, organised by the local people of the village known for its serene backwater beauty.
He speaks to Onmanorama on the situation in Manipur. Excerpts: It has been over a year since the riot broke out in Manipur. Still ,we get to hear multiple versions of what happened there.
What happened in your state? By now, even you would be clearer. I was clear from day one. In fact, many of my friends said I wrote about it way back in 2015.
It was not a prophecy. I've been looking into this social movement for a long time. So I knew that this could happen and it happened.
Once the communit-level clashes happened, there'll be spatial rearrangement and population shift will happen. And there will be a scar even if we come together. That's something that I have written in 2015.
So I was never under confusions. What struck me is the blatant character in which the Indian state has allowed this to happen. Anybody in this country will know that such kind of violence would not last long unless the government is complicit through its own inaction.
What triggered your fears? Actually, it's not fear because there has been this identity-based mobilisation a.