Issue firearms to Meetei volunteers: Kangleipal
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, January 21 2024:
Maintaining that the state government has not been able to protect the civilians from the Kuki militants, social activist Sapam Kangleipal said that five battalions of Meetei volunteers are ready to fight the Kuki militants and urged the government to issue arms.
Addressing a press meet at his Nongada, Imphal East residence on Sunday, Kangleipal said that the village volunteers are guarding Meetei villages from the aggression of Kuki militants without any help from the government.
On the north eastern side of Imphal, there was a peace truce between leaders of Kuki and Meetei communities in last week of May during a joint meeting hosted by Assam Rifles at latter's New Canaan camp with the local MLA also present in the meeting.
Shortly after the truce was signed, Kuki militants attacked and burnt all the Meetei houses of Gwaltabi on May 28 and also attacked other villages like Sanasabi, Thamnapokpi, Yaingangpokpi, Santi Khongban and Sabungkhok Khunou on the same day.
Despite the repeated attacks on Meetei villages by Kuki militants ever since, the government has always been trying to control the Meetei people.
There is heavy deployment of central security forces from Sawombung village to Sanasabi village, but there is no such deployment along the hill tracks of Tumukhong Moirangpurel, which is the main route for the Kuki militants.
As a result, Kuki militants armed with sophisticated weapons are roaming freely in the area.
There are central security forces in Saimol village but they do nothing to stop the movement of well-armed Kuki militants along the road that lies just in front of the military camp to reach Koune village, he said.
A close analysis of the situation in the area shows that the heavy deployment of central security forces in the area is not to deter activities of Kuki militants but to prevent the Meeteis from repulsing the attacks.
One clear example of this is the combing operation carried out in the valley and deployment of additional central security forces at Sabungkhok Khunou aftermath of an attack by Kuki militants on Christmas day, last year.
Considering the series of events, it could be comprehended that the attack by Kuki militants was a strategy for stationing additional central forces in valley area instead of taking actions against the attackers.
In short, the government is restricting the Meeteis while the Centre is supporting the Kuki militants, he alleged, stressing that it is not the time to remain silent.
For more than eight months, Meetei volunteers are striving to uphold the integrity of Manipur and as such the government should not undermine their importance at any cost.
Five battalions of Meetei village volunteers are ready and they will be handed over to the people of the state soon.
However, they are unarmed volunteers and need firearms to tackle the Kuki militants effectively and uphold the integrity and identity of Manipur.
As such, the government should provide weapons to them, he reiterated while stating that any person willing to join the volunteer battalions may contact him by January 28 .