CorCom dubs crisis proxy war, calls shutdown on Oct 15
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 10 2024: The Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of armed organisations, has declared a 12-hour shutdown across Manipur from 6 am on October 15 in connection with observance of National Black Day in denunciation of Manipur's forcible merger into the Union of India.

The Committee also described the ongoing crisis as a proxy war aimed at suppressing the revolutionary movement and undermining the socio-economy of the Manipur valley.

In a statement issued by media coordinator M Sakhen, CorCom highlighted that Manipur (Kangleipak) has a written history spanning over 2000 years and had its own constitution as early as the 11th century.

Even after the British occupation in 1891, the colonial government recognised Manipur's sovereignty.

Following its independence on August 14, 1947, Manipur constituted its own government before being annexed into the Union of India on October 15, 1949.Since then, there has been heavy deployment of security forces and imposition of draconian laws such as AFSPA 1958 under which various acts of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, involuntary disappearances, fake encounters, rapes, and torture are being committed.

According to the statement, the armed resistance is not a war against India but rather a struggle against the Indian security forces, aimed at ousting them to restore Manipur's lost sovereignty.

The movement is not about seeking separation from India but the restoration of its independence, it added.

CorCom also accused the Government of India of creating divisions among ethnic communities in an attempt to suppress the movement while alleging that buffer zones, typically seen in conflicts between countries, are being established and maintained by security forces to heighten ethnic tensions.

It also charged the government of providing arms, rations, and logistics support to illegal immigrants from Myanmar to carry out genocide and ethnic cleansing of the people of Manipur (Kangleipak) valley.

CorCom cited denial of drone strikes by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi as evidence of the government 's involvement in the ongoing violence, and accused him of hiding the facts behind the current crisis.

CorCom also pointed to the one-sided statements of retired DGAR Lt Gen Pradeep Chandran Nair as another example of covering up root cause of the conflict.

According to the statement, the current proxy war serves two purposes: first, to suppress the revolutionary movement and the socio-economic and administrative framework of the Manipur valley; and second, to exploit the region's invaluable mineral resources.

CorCom likened these actions to colonialism, where resources are extracted from colonies without regard for the local population.

The statement claimed that buffer zones are being used to lay the ground work for resource extraction, including petroleum, uranium, platinum, limestone, and chromite, without considering the consequences on the local communities.

The statement further said that amid continuous attacks using drones and rockets from the other side, the valley area and its people are subjected to combing operations and arrests.

CorCom claimed such activities are carried out to support the false narratives propagated by General Dwivedi and Lt Gen Nair, in alignment with the policies of the Prime Minister and the home minister of India.

Furthermore, CorCom questioned why the 60,000 security forces deployed by Delhi remained idle while two communities have been in conflict for nearly a year and a half.

It criticised India, which claims to be the world's largest democracy, for silently watching its citizens kill each other.

CorCom described such inaction as characteristic of colonial rule, asserting that the government views Manipur as occupied territory and its people as colonised people.

CorCom urged the people of Manipur to recognise the true nature of the Government of India and called on all ethnic communities in Manipur (Kangleipak) to coexist peacefully and unite in their fight against colonial rule.

In conclusion, CorCom announced a 12-hour shutdown on October 15 from 6 am to 6 pm across Manipur (Kangleipak) to observe National Black Day.

However, essential services such as medical emergencies, fire services, media, and religious activities will be exempted from the shutdown, the statement added.

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