New Delhi: In a move that is being seen as having been made “under pressure from the community”; two battalions of the Assam Rifles deployed in Manipur’s Bishnupur and Kangpokpi — key buffer zones separating the two communities — will be moved out and replaced by the Central Reserve Police Force.
Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei civil society group has been demanding withdrawal of Assam Rifles (AR) from Manipur accusing them of siding with the Kukis. The group has alleged misconduct, corruption by the force during the ongoing violence and has demanded their replacement with CRPF and BSF. The group in the past has alleged that it has documented several incidents showing AR vehicles delivering “suspicious items” to Kuki armed posts and exhibiting indifferent attitude towards Meiteis.
The decision has been taken despite several protests and memorandums to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by civil society groups of Kuki community and the Kuki MLAs in Manipur opposing the move and calling it a “sinister design to expedite the Meitei majoritarian ethnic cleansing campaign against them”.
While officers in the security establishment justified moving out the AR from Manipur by saying that AR is an expert in counter insurgency and is required in Jammu sector in the wake of recent attacks in the region, the decision seems to be a one taken to appease the Meitei community that has been demanding their removal.
According to sources in the security establishment a decision has been taken to move out one AR and deploy it in Jammu and the other to Nagaland. Another AR battalion being sent to Jammu is being deployed from Nagaland.
“The decision has been taken because the AR was required in Jammu. As they are better integrated with the Army and well trained for counter insurgency operation, we wanted to see if this would work. Moreover, CRPF is well equipped to handle law and order. They have done well in Kashmir Valley, hence some battalions of CRPF are being withdrawn from Jammu and being sent to Manipur,” the officer said.
Speaking to ThePrint, MLA Paolienlal Haokip said that it is unfortunate that the Centre conceded to the demand of a Meitei civil society group, which will worsen the problem and the complexities in Manipur.
“The Central government needs to man up. They cannot succumb to a CM who is commanding a communal militia. If they do that, the worst is about to happen,” he said.
He added that this kind of pressure from the majority community is the root of the problem in Manipur and if the Centre thinks this is the way forward, then “they are worsening the problem”. He added that by removing AR, the Centre sent out a message that they do not trust their own force.
“The AR tried to balance things out and contain the violence and if the central government cannot see that and succumbed to communal pressure, we are not heading toward a solution to the problem, we are adding fuel to fire,” he said.
When asked about the central government’s peace initiatives, including a peace committee set up by the Ministry of Home Affair, Haokip called them a “sham”.
“Nothing has been done by the government, that is the tragedy of it. No single meeting has taken place. The home minister said that progress has been made, he met MLAs, met CSOs, but there is no such thing. They are fooling people. That will not lead to any solution,” he said.
Ten Kuki MLAs had also written to PM Modi seeking his intervention to ensure that Assam Rifles continue to guard sensitive areas of the ethnic strife-torn state and are not replaced by CRPF.
Meanwhile, Somorendro Thokchom, Coordinator, COCOMI, said that the decision by the Centre to remove AR is a “victory” for Manipur.
“Assam rifles have been here for years. They are very close to the Kukis. They support Kuki terrorists. They are never neutral. That is why we wanted them to be removed. We have so many proofs to show their connivance with the Kukis. We are grateful to the government for thinking of people of Manipur. It is a victory for us,” he said to ThePrint.
The Assam Rifles also issued a statement last week, asserting that it “plays a critical role in maintaining peace and security in Manipur” and had adopted a “balanced approach” in maintaining security across all regions.
Also read: Assam Rifles to be deployed in Jammu’s Machedi to beef up security grid, jungle warfare the focus
‘Centre has conveyed they are with Meiteis’
Speaking to ThePrint Janghaolun Haokip, Secretary, Kuki Inpi, said that by taking this decision, the Central government has conveyed that it is with the Meiteis and they will go to every extent to appease them.
“This is a biased and partial decision. This follows the demand of COCOMI, a Meitei civil society group that has been demanding removal of the Assam Rifles, just because they have been a neutral force since the beginning,” he said.
Haokip asked why should the central government listen to COCOMI while denying the voices of Kuki-zo people?
“That’s how we perceive it. There is no solution unless there is justice for our people. There can be no form of reconciliation,” he said.
He added that the Assam Rifles has the experience and knowledge to deal with the problem in the region and has played a role of a neutral force since the beginning of the conflict.
The Kuki Inpi had also submitted a memorandum to PM Modi requesting urgent intervention and reconsideration of replacing AR with the CRPF in Manipur.
Minlal Gangte, Vice-President of the Kuki Students’ Organisation in Churachandpur, asked why the government had to remove AR from Manipur, which is still under turmoil, as it could have done it from any other state from the Northeast.
“The Assam rifles were painted in the wrong light. They have a long history of keeping law and order in Manipur. They deal with the local people, they understand people, geography, and topography. Since the conflict broke out, they have been manning critical borders between Kuki and Meitei. Why did the government have to remove them at this point when they could have done the same from any other state if the AR was required in Jammu,” he said.
He added that Assam Rifle has been a neutral force and have also arrested people of the Kuki community for holding illegal arms. He said that the decision to remove them was taken only because of the pressure from Meiteis.
“There is a lot of pressure from Meitei. MPs and people and state are asking for removal of AR. We wanted them to remain but no one heard us. Centre is giving into demands of the state, which will prove to be disastrous for Manipur,” he said.
He added that the Kukis trusted the AR more as the officers in the force come from the Army. He said with the CRPF taking over, the state (N. Biren Singh government) will take full control of the CRPF too.
“CRPF will be under Biren Singh and completely against us. This will ensure that their agenda of ethnic cleansing is furthered. Not that we do not have faith in CRPF, but we are apprehensive that they will side with the state. Now we know that the Central government is not with us,” he said.
He added that the decision will also further widen the gap between the two communities.
“The Centre is siding with the Meiteis. It is a clear indication, It shows who they support. This problem can never get solved,” he said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Kuki-Zo community urges Centre not to replace ‘neutral’ Assam Rifles with CRPF in Manipur hill areas