In this episode, former fighter pilot and social activist, RK Ranendrajit talks about the conflict situations in Manipur, the notorious Armed Forces Special Powers Act prevalent in the state that has left the people getting alienated from the rest of the country. He says that even though there have been a few positive changes in the last few decades, the Right to Life for the people of Manipur has always been debatable.

Although there have been numerous protests by the citizens, the Government still remains to ignore the plea and cry of the people. As a result of these situations, the resistance from the people started as they began to worry about what kind of future their children are destined for in the state. He says that the Government of India has plans to exploit the resources and talents of the state as part of Indianzation and assimilation but they have failed in getting the people’s support and serving their needs.

When we asked RK Ranendrajit about our show and requested him for a little feedback and some advice, he responded by saying that the show has been doing a very good thing by bringing out the thoughts, ideas and views of the people and the ground reality. He says that the show brings out the notable personalities of Manipur and spread their knowledge. He also stressed the importance of documentation and archiving.

Lastly, he expressed his views on the peaceful forms of protests in Manipur against AFSPA and other conflicts citing Irom Sharmila Chanu as an example. He also mentioned about the fake encounters in Manipur that the armed forces carry out whenever they feel that the people are gaining momentum in the struggle against AFSPA. This is somehow similar to what senior journalist Kishalay Bhattacharjee mentioned during his interview with us while speaking about his book on confessions of army officers.