Bodies counter CDS general Chauhan
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 31 2023:
South East Asia Human Rights Associa-tion and Maichou Ning-shing Lup have raised posers on the statement by chief of defence staff (CDS) general Anil Chauhan that 'crisis in Manipur is not related to insurgency but is law and order issue'.
Ina joint release, Association advisor Hemchand Ch and Lup member A Irabot Meitei questioned the general officer if insurgents are not involved in the crisis then how come innocent people are attacked and killed by using sophis-ticated weapons like snipers and AK-47s.Many print and elec-tronic media have re-ported and shown drone footage where insurgents can be seen dressed in camouflage and armed with sophisticated weapons.
There are gun fights every now and then in the periphery of valley areas between state's armed forces and Kuki militants to protect innocent people, it added.
The bodies further pointed out that if the clash is between two ethnicities, what about the chief minister N Bi-ren's declaration that the Kuki militants are ter-rorists and they would be uprooted from the soil of Manipur.
Does the In-dian Army who is at the site of gun fight could not differentiate between the sounds of sophis-ticated gun shots and licenced hunting weap-ons or are they really one sided and supporting the Kuki militants.
The statement made by CDS general Chauhan is unjustified.
The ongoing turmoil could be stopped only when the Union home minister asks the Kuki militants under So0 to stop firing or take stern action, it also maintained.
The bodies further conveyed that along with Lairembi Sintha Lup, Nongpok Leingak Apun-ba Nupi Lup and Coor-dinating Body, Khurai have submitted a mem-orandum to Union home minister Amit Shah and President Droupadi Murmu on the present crisis in the state.