NPP cautions Govt against 'division of police on ethnic line'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 27 2023: National vice president of National People's Party (NPP) Y Joykumar has cautioned that the division of State police based on ethnic lines will lead to the complete failure of the intelligence and let the violence linger on.

Y Joykumar, along with some of his party members, went to the residences of Phijam Hemanjit at Takyel Kolom Leikai and Linthoingambi Hijam at Tera Tongbram Leikai who were killed by Kuki militants after being kept in captivity and met their parents, today.

Speaking to the media on the sideline, Y Joykumar said that the State Government must put maximum effort to retrieve the mortal remains of the two students since their demise have been confirmed.

He assured that NPP will extend all possible help in tracing the bodies of the two students.

Appealing to Kuki people to lend a help in tracing the mortal remains of the deceased students by keeping all differences aside, the former Deputy Chief Minister recalled that the two Kuki women who were paraded naked in the initial stage of the crisis were rescued from the mob by the Meetei mothers.

The Kuki people need to condemn the horrible crime committed against the two innocent students in a similar way the Meeteis responded to the nude parade incident, he said and added that the Kukis, unfortunately, haven't said a word of sympathy or condemnation against the merciless killing of the innocent students till now.

Majority of the Meeteis didn't condone the incident when two Kuki women were paraded naked but the same benevolence is not shown by the Kukis on the killing of the Meetei students, he said.

The demise of Hemanjit and Linthoingambi who went missing in July were confirmed only after a picture of them lying next to one another surfaced on social media a couple of days back, Joykumar added.

On being asked about the failure of the security forces to rescue the missing students or at least trace their mortal remains, Y Joykumar said that there is adequate State security personnel in Manipur to handle the crisis but it seems there is no explicit order for them to act.

He continued that the police department has been weakened due to the division of the Meetei and Kuki personnel based on ethnic lines.

Y Joykumar was accompanied by NPP general secretary (organisation) RK Rameshwar.

ex-Minister Ningthoujam Mangi, ex-MLA Soibam Subhaschandra and National People's Youth Front Manipur president Laitonjam Jayananda among others.

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