COCOMI condemns killing, urges CM to take charge
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, January 12 2024:
While condemning the brutal killing of three firewood collectors by Kuki armed assailants in Haotak area of Wangoo Sabal Akasoi, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has categorically stated the latest incident has exposed the disturbing depth of barbarism ingrained in their psyche.
The Committee also urged the chief minister to take over the charge of unified command as the existing security arrangements have failed completely, and the role of the security advisor in the past eight months of the tumultuous period utterly ineffective, with no discernible signs of improvement in law and order situation.
A release issued by COCOMI IPR secretary Priyo Achom informed that of the four missing people, three lifeless bodies have been recovered, leaving one still unaccounted for.
The victims included a father-son duo, leaving the surviving family shattered.
While COCOMI refrain from solely blaming the Kuki militants and its civilian groups openly supporting the inhumane act on social media, it is imperative that they do not exploit a victim narrative in the aftermath of any future violence, Priyo said.
Compounding the distress is the disturbing spectacle of Kuki armed personnel gleefully celebrating the killing of four villagers, shamelessly broadcasting it on social media to provoke the Meetei people.
Amid this macabre display, the state government remains a passive spectator.
The glaring inadequacy of the 70,000-strong central forces deployed in the state raises questions about their effectiveness in safeguarding civilian lives and property, he denounced.
"Perhaps it's time to reconsider their presence and empower the state government to handle the situation.
The alarming absence of law and order in Kuki-infiltrated hill areas poses a grave threat to Manipur.
These regions resemble rogue districts, with elected representatives, civil society organisations, and narco-terrorist groups rallying together in aggressive opposition to the Meetei and Manipur government, all transpiring under the indifferent gaze of the central government," the release said, while stressing the need for immediate and comprehensive intervention to avert further jeopardy in Manipur.