Differences surface in 11 AR shifting demand
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 08 2011:
Differences has surfaced in the demand for transfer of 11 AR from Zeliangrong inhabited areas, particularly from Tamenglong district which many Zeliangrong civil and student bodies are demanding.
The demand for shifting of the 11 AR from its present camp at Tamenglong district was rose up after the March 13 incident in which a group of women protested against arrest of a leader of the NSCN (IM), George Gonmei by the AR personnel on the charge of extortion and other anti-social activities.
On the very day of announcement of the a 48-hour bandh in the Zeliangrong inhabited areas in Manipur from the midnight of April 17 to midnight of 19, the Women Development Organization (WDO) Tamenglong appreciated the military civic action programmes taken up by the 11 Assam Rifles and said "Let 11 Assam Rifles stay in Tamenglong and continue its good service for the underprivileged women of the district" .
The women body said that 11 Assam Rifles has done numbers of good wok under Military Civic Action (MCA) for the people of the district.
The Vocational Training Centre (VTC) opened under the initiative of the AR has benefited many underprivileged women and able to maintain their family.
They appealed to the 11 AR to stay in the district further and serve the people.
The appeal of the women body received a strong criticism from the Zeliangrong Baudi (Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) who said that "The meager service rendered by the 11 AR under the colonel PS Choonkar cannot justified or eclipsed the harassment it had meted out to the Zeliangrong people.
A statement of the body signed by its convener, Poupokung Kamei asserted "the so-called stooge centre of the 11 AR, VTC with its subsidiary body, Women Development Organisation (VTC), should never ever dare to venture to glorify the tyrannical behaviour of Indian Security forces especially that of the 11 AR in Tamenglong" .
All the programmes under MCA is a part of the hidden agenda of the security forces to whitewashed all the atrocities committed by it on the general masses for the last 60 years or more, the statement pointed out.
"The ZB, Manipur condemned the cheap publicity stunt of the 11 AR by using the poor womenfolk as its human shield to cover up its high handedness.
We understand that colonel Chhonkar and the 11 AR will use even lunatic of Tamenglong to defend its misdeeds one day," the statement criticized.