In my earlier post I had wondered, when will Google upload high resolution satellite imagery of Ziro.
Well, the wait is over. Google Earth has finally uploaded the high resolution image of Ziro (see the screenshot below).
High Resolution Satellite Image of Ziro-Hapoli Township
Now denizens of Ziro, go find your home. 
(Information via FB friend)
Arunachal Diary is out from maintenance mode, though with a different skin, lost posts, lost comments and probably some lost photos too.
The technical snag that resulted has left me ‘scavenging’ the net for traces of posts and comments from Arunachal Diary left in web space available to be recovered. I was able to recover some and lost some.
Now, you would find salvaged Arunachal Diary without a comment in the recent posts. I do sincerely apologize to those commenter whose valuable comments I could not recover. It was all my mistake that I did not took back up of the posts and comments before server failed. It has taught me a lesson, though. And in all probability, from now on, I’d be backing up datas; as you know now that datas are not always safe in the server. And for the meantime, I’d be using this skin till I’m able to skin Arunachal Diary with customized theme.
Have you gone through condemnations pouring in various state dailies from the various organizations after November 3rd incident at Ziro? Don’t you feel that there is an air of double standardness and hypocrisy in their condemnations? The condemnation is more of vandalism and demand for the arrests of those involved in the vandalism than showing solidarity with the family of the murdered school boy who were demanding exemplary punishment to those involved in the murder.
Never before had I seen organizations condoning condemning the mob act similar to November 3rd outburst at Ziro after similar murder incident. Take for instance, the July 15th death of Late Jumchi (Tachi) Nguso in police custody where students’ body tried to bury the dead body inside the police station premise or another instance where an old man Late Miti Mepo died due to high handedness of IRBn personnel on August 2nd and subsequent ransacking of Deputy Commissioners office, SP office etc at Roing. In both the instance, various organizations just condemned the murder of innocent citizen and not the resultant act by the public. And they demanded that the culprit of the crime be brought to book and there was never any demand for arrest of those involved in the mob act.
Why? Why the mob act was not condemned that time? Why arrests of those involved in vandalism in the above instance not demanded? Was it because in both the instance the perpetrator of the act was the man in uniform and it was seen as a fight against failing system? But then, wasn’t the mob act at Ziro on November 3rd also a resultant of failing district administration? Or was there any other reason? I’ve been told that there has been cold blooded murder since the past few years in this otherwise peaceful and eventless Ziro Valley and the administration was not able to contain the crimes. Also, it has been told that while dealing with the sensitive issue like murder, the approach of the district administration was callous. So, was this callous attitude of the administration that led to public outburst on November 3rd at Ziro? Only impartial magisterial inquiry as demanded by ZCD (Ziro Development Committee) would reveal the exact cause that led to November 3rd public outburst. But then, is the government ready to institute such impartial inquiry to unearth the real cause and penalize those in authority if found at fault?
Well, having said that, I’m not trying to glorify or justify the act of vandalism of public property on November 3rd, but instead do condemn the act of Vandalism of November 3rd, or for that matter, any act of vandalism on public property by anyone in severest of terms. It’s just that we should shun this double standardness and hypocrisy while condemning any act.
Is this some kind of a racial attack on Apatani? Three cold blooded murders in three years in Ziro, the home of Apatanis! Two outside Ziro this year itself. List is long when we talk of last three, four years. The people of Ziro have been feeling the pain for long. They have been waiting for law to take its own course and found that laws are not equal to all. They took out peaceful procession praying for justice and security of life in many occassions but their cries fell on deaf ears. Non-violence used to be a sign of strength but to them it appears to be a sign of weakness. Tolerance is virtue of brave heart but it made them appear to be chicken hearted.
Aggrieved by the murder of an unsuspecting school boy, walking on the road, for no reason, a group of concerned citizen of Ziro along with friends and well wisher of the deceased‘s family call on Deputy Commissioner with same old strategy of prayer and petition but they found that she was only as good as when she was absent. Her fleeing the scene in such fragile law and order situation is on every body’s lips (misplaced belief or real, whatever). Moreover, Deputy Commissioner is quoted to have made an escapist remark. “What can district administration do as long as the people of the valley brew wine in their home?”
Well, dozen of registered wine shops are doing businesses in Hapoli even as curfew has been clamped on to defuse the tension.
Having got the spark that was needed to ignite the fire, thing changed for good or for bad on the day of November 3. Unarmed and non-violent group of people turn into a mob. Stones, sticks and wooden logs lying on roadsides become their tool. DC office, Police Station and DC’s residence were ransacked. One car was burnt and some others damaged. There was no visible resistance from police and security personals. “Indeed!” The mob said “if District Administration can’t do anything for its citizen what’s the use of office buildings and police station.”
Unfortunate! Citizen took the law in their hand. A condemnable act in strongest term .
What worried me is the reaction of the people in general towards this act of misdeed. Wave of satisfaction spread across the valley on news of ransacking of DC Office Complex and Police Station.This is an eye opener, I’m told by hundreds of them. It’s horrible! This is not the Apatanis I know. It never happened in history of Ziro. I hardly see any regret shown by ordinary Apatanis for what the mob has done. What used to be a proper thing became improper and improper thing became proper. Who is to blame?
A week passed by but their anger has not died yet.There is total public distrust towards district administration. Some sort of examplery punishment to the murderers only would give some healing touch.
Amidst all these chaos there was one good news: anger was vented against district administration but no single word of communal tone was heard.
Importantly, this episode has exposed the state of policing in one of the most populous and happening town of Arunachal Pradesh. Around two hours of mayhem but police were nowhere controlling the mob. One can guage from this as to how crime can be controlled in the town.
It is a difficult time for people as well as district administration. Damages have been made to the public properties and to the psyche of the people. But a line from P.B Shelley’s poem worth a quote “If winter has come, would spring be far behind.”