Guwahati: Despite no official announcement from Delhi, the Kuki-Zomi community has appealed to the Centre to not replace the paramilitary Assam Rifles with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the hill areas of Manipur.
On Friday, the Kangvai Village Council of Churachandpur district released a press statement, terming the “proposed decision” as “irrational and unacceptable”, while also stating that the chiefs of Kangvai and K. Kawtlian hill villages had “donated the land in good intention – exclusively for the Assam Rifles”.
“The decision of replacing the Assam Rifles at this juncture will indefinitely create a fear psychosis in the minds of the local populace and inevitably hamper the existing peaceful condition of the villages and its surroundings. If at all the replacement is inevitable, they should be replaced by another Assam Rifles Battalion/Unit,” the statement read.
The Village Council also warned that the “proposed stationing” of a CRPF Battallion at Kangvai village in place of the Assam Rifles would be “vehemently opposed and objected to — as Kangvai and K. Kawtlian villages are situated in the most vulnerable areas near the buffer zone.”
Local residents of Churachandpur led by the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) took out a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening at Kangvai and Pholjang villages in protest against the “arbitrary attempt” to remove the Assam Rifles units from the hill areas.
“We have assembled against the possible transfer of the Assam Rifles… A neutral force such as the Assam Rifles should be deployed here. They are not siding with the Kukis as being alleged, but protecting us and maintaining the buffer zone,” said Minlal Gangte, vice-president of the KSO in Churachandpur.
Security sources told ThePrint that no decision was communicated yet, but a notification “may be expected soon” for the two units of the Assam Rifles — one at Kangvai, a peripheral area under Churachandpur district connecting the valley area of Bishnupur, and another unit at Kangpokpi district.
The sources also added that the protests by the Kuki-Zo community could have been triggered by a “leak of information”.
The development regarding the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) comes close on the heels of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Sunday. The same day, newly appointed Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya was given the additional charge of Manipur, taking over from Anusuiya Uikey.
Amid the political developments, the 10 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar legislators, including 7 from the BJP, are absent from the ongoing session of the Manipur Assembly that began Wednesday. Earlier, the Chief Minister told the media that he would send out “invitations” to each of the MLAs to attend the assembly session, which ends next Tuesday.
In the midst of it, the CRPF and the Assam Rifles along with the district administration of Manipur’s Jiribam facilitated a peace meeting between the representatives of the state’s Meitei community and the Hmar tribe (part of the Kuki-Zo community) in Assam’s Cachar district Thursday.
Manipur’s Jiribam shares boundary with Assam. It is one of the few instances where representatives of both communities came together and agreed to work towards bringing normalcy in Jiribam district, which saw violence two months ago.
‘Don’t go back, Assam Rifles’
On Wednesday evening, the Kuki-Zomi demonstrators, including a large number of womenfolk, carried placards that read ‘AR Don’t go back’, ‘Replacing AR isn’t a solution’ among other messages.
In a press statement Wednesday, the KSO urged the central government against implementing any such decision.
“The decision of replacing the Assam Rifles unit with the CRPF is an absurdity, and against the will of the local population. The Government needs to rethink this decision and take the opinion of the respective local people and district civil society bodies,” it said.
Referring to the Coordinating Committee for Manipur Integrity, a Meitei civil society organisation (CSO), the KSO stated that “the COCOMI and its cohorts could not bear to contain this mutual understanding and put up all possible allegations against the Assam Rifles.”
On 25 July, the COCOMI released a report questioning the role of the Assam Rifles and demanded its withdrawal from Manipur. It cited incidents of gunfights and assaults since May last year, including attacks at Serou and Sugnu villages under Kakching subdivision of Thoubal district.
Declaring an “indefinite boycott” of the force for its alleged bias in conduct of operations, the COCOMI appealed to the public to support its decision “for the swift restoration of peace and security in the state.”
“COCOMI, alongside the people of Manipur, demands the immediate withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the state. We call for their replacement with disciplined and dedicated security organizations, such as the BSF, the CRPF, or the Army, to manage the India-Myanmar International Border, and assist the state’s law enforcement agencies,” it said.
It further urged community leaders and CSOs “to abstain from engaging with the Assam Rifles,” and “reject any military civic action schemes and benefits” offered by the force.
A day later, the Assam Rifles issued a statement, asserting that it “plays a critical role in maintaining peace and security in Manipur.”
Stating that it has adopted a “balanced approach” in maintaining security across all regions, the central paramilitary force revealed that it has recovered a total of 819 weapons in hill areas and 448 in valley areas since May last year. It has destroyed 51 bunkers in the valley and 77 in the hills, while also apprehending 72 individuals in hill areas and 145 in valley areas, the statement added.
Besides maintaining security in the border areas along the Indo-Myanmar border, over the past four months, the Assam Rifles has “seized contraband worth Rs 1,000 crore on the Indian side of the border, with an equal amount lying on the Myanmar side,” it added.
“This has created discomfort among influential sections within Manipur, leading to coordinated opposition against Assam Rifles,” it stated.
Refuting allegations of not providing support to the state police, the Assam Rifles listed instances when operations were carried out in November last year — to rescue Manipur police commandos during a gunfight with insurgents at border town, and in February, when the state government sought the assistance of the force to maintain peace in six violence-hit districts.
(Edited by Tony Rai)