[ Bengia Ajum ]
For the last few days, Arunachalis are glued to their respective smartphones, trying to get updates about the activities of activist Sol Dodum.
In a way, Arunachal is witnessing what the rest of India witnessed during the Anna Hazare movement years ago. While demanding clean water supply in Seppa township in East Kameng district, he had tried to organise a protest rally in Seppa. It is alleged that Dodum and his team members were assaulted by a group of miscreants during the protest rally they had taken out in Seppa on 12 April to press their demand for clean water supply. The incident prompted him to carry out the foot march from Seppa to Itanagar as a mark of protest and to launch his agitation.
Almost everywhere, now people are talking about his foot march. He has set a benchmark in the way protests should be carried out against injustice. For a state like Arunachal Pradesh, where people are used to harsh methods like bandh calls to seek justice, the unique style of carrying out a foot march from Seppa to Itanagar by Sol Dodum has definitely won the hearts of the people of the state. Without resorting to violence or any provocative rally, he has managed to draw the attention of the entire state and also that of the authorities. For the various unions, associations, etc, this should be an eye-opener. Often in the state, these groups do not take a second to go for a bandh call to press their demands. Such kind of bandh calls usually end up causing immense trouble to the ordinary citizens. The poor and the ordinary tend to suffer more during bandh calls. Also, it sends out a very wrong signal about the state to the rest of the world. Bandh calls as a tool of protest are outdated. Barring the NE region, in the rest of the country, people have almost given up the bandh culture.
With the unique non-violent way of protest, Sol Dodum has won the hearts of the people. This has made the authorities take notice of the grievances raised by him.
The state government has deputed Home Minister Bamang Felix to speak to Dodum and his team in order to work out a solution to the issues raised by him. The first meeting, which took place on Saturday, was inconclusive. Now the whole state will be waiting to see how the government responds to the grievances placed by him in the coming days. If and when the government positively responds to his demands, the protest will most probably end. But one of the most important and lasting messages from the agitation launched by Sol Dodum is that one can protest and fight for rights without resorting to violence and bandh calls.
