Imphal, June 17: Contending that ploy of the Indian security forces to pitch the common people of Manipur against the armed organisations is far fetched dream, the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF) cautioned that divide and rule policy being schemed by the Government would only backfire.

Reacting to the recent comments of the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (South) Maj Gen AK Choudhury on the Heirok issue and published in section of the State media on June 15, the armed outfit in a statement issued by its senior publicity officer Ksh Yoiheiba said Assam Rifles authorities need to introspect numerous human rights violation perpetrated by the Assam Rifles against innocent civilians before expecting the people's collective patronage in the attempt to drive wedge between the common people and UG groups.

Referring to the Maj Gen Choudhury's assertion that Heirok residents had been asking for weapons and setting up of SPOs to protect themselves as UG groups in Manipur have no set principle consequently resulting in the armed cadres harassing the civilian populace, Yoiheiba opined that the AR officer is devoid of knowledge regarding his own soldiers and subordinate officials.

Apart from recounting cases of human rights violations committed by the security forces especially by personnel of the Assam Rifles such as forced disappearance of arrested individuals, extra-judicial killings and the tumultuous period in the aftermath of the Th Manorama episode, the UNLF statement equated distress of the Heirok and Chajing people to that of an innocent individual from Moirang Ngankha Lawai who was slain after capture by troops of the J&K Light Infantry.

Elaborating on the contention, the statement pointed out that when people of Heirok asked for weapons to protect themselves the Government processed for the setting up of SPOs with an ulterior motive contrary to similar demand by the JAC formed after the Moirang Ngangkha Lawai incident, being outrightly rejected.

Such contradictory/discriminatory stances undoubtedly illustrates that the Government had been scheming to create division between the people and the revolutionary groups as the demand by the JAC (Ngangkha Lawai) is also justifiable and should have been accorded equal importance as shown to the people of Heirok and Chajing, the UNLF maintained.

Moreover, the Government rejecting the Ngangkha Lawai JAC's proposal is an indication that UG groups could now provide arms to people of Ngangkha Lawai for protecting themselves against Government forces.

Significantly, the comments of IG AR (S) only substantiate apprehension of the Heirok public that the SPO are being setup for deployment in counter insurgency combats, Yoiheiba observed.

He further insisted that after formation of the SPO many previously unemployed youth would be enjoying monthly entitlements and would eventually lead to the people of Heirok, particularly those actively involved in setting up the SPOs, forgetting the fact that insistence on arms was an outcome of a particular incident during which some individuals lost their lives and a teenage girl losing her eyesight.