GUWAHATI
A day after a gun-and-bomb attack killed two persons, including a woman, a Manipur Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator urged Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw Central forces from the State for allegedly remaining aloof to the violence around.
In a letter to Mr. Shah on Monday (September 2, 2024), Rajkumar Imo Singh said the Central forces “are mostly present as mute spectators” and the deployment of 60,000 personnel in Manipur was not yielding peace. It would, therefore, be better to withdraw them, he said.
The BJP legislator, who represents the Sagolband Assembly constituency, expressed his view in the context of the fresh attack by extremists at Koutruk and the adjoining areas of the Imphal West district on Sunday. While two people died, nine others were injured in the attack.
The Manipur Police said the extremists deployed numerous rocket-propelled grenades using high-tech drones in the unprecedented attack.
Mr. Singh also demanded the abrogation of the Centre’s agreement on the suspension of operations signed with various Kuki extremist groups that are “constantly behind the spread of further violence”.
“Investigate the funding and supply of these arms and ammunition… a mere ethnic conflict should not last for such a long time but it has continued for nearly a year-and-a-half now due to the support and supply of illegal arms and ammunition,” he said.
Mr. Rajkumar Imo Singh further urged that the Central government “has to hand over” the unified command in the State to the Manipur government headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh as the “present set up isn’t able to halt such violence”. He said, “Handing over the unified command to the elected government is the need of the hour”.
This comes less than two months after Mr. Biren Singh told The Hindu that the centralisation of the unified command had been done “for the good of the people” but that its effectiveness has to be shown on the ground. “The people in the field here have to start dealing with the ground realities here from time to time. Some excesses, legally, if needed, might be necessary,” he had said.
On Monday, a delegation of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) met Governor Lakshman Acharya and expressed concerns over the failure of the Central and State governments to protect lives and property.
The alliance parties said the Centre should take immediate and effective measures to restore peace and order in the State, stressing that the ongoing crisis was a matter of national security and not merely a regional issue.
“The inability of the authorities to safeguard the lives and properties of citizens is not just a failure at the State level but reflects poorly on the Central leadership as well,” State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra said.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, an Imphal Valley-based organisation said the armed “immigrant Kuki groups” used an ambulance to infiltrate into Meitei villages. It said the aerial bombing by the extremists using drones was a serious war crime.
“We demand immediate action against those who carried out the attack, as their identities have been revealed through social media, including the ambulance’s registration number,” the organisation said, adding that public trust in the current administration could erode if it fails to take appropriate action.
Meanwhile, security forces continued their joint combing operations in areas bordering Imphal West and the hilly Kangpokpi districts.
