COCOMI asks GOI to remove AR from Manipur
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 25 2023:
While asserting that people of Manipur no longer have trust in the central security forces due to suspicious activities of the Assam Rifles (AR), Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) urged the Government of India (GOI) to remove the entire AR battalions from Manipur and deploy armed forces which could keep intact national security.
According to a statement of COCOMI, the GOI despatched large numbers of security personnel to contain the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3 in addition to the existing state and central forces.
The unabated violence in Manipur broke out after illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Chittagong Hill tracts of Bangladesh, who have joined Indian politics after causing demographic imbalance by encroaching on reserved forest and planting poppy, began attacking the indigenous people of Manipur.
The Assam Rifles have long been guarding Manipur sector of the Indo-Myanmar border for a long time.
Had the Assam Rifles prevented influx of the illegal immigrants, there would have been no demographic imbalance in Manipur and no unwanted incident occurred.
It is weil know'h throughout the globe that poppy cultivation and drug trade is the main profession of these illegal immigrants.
There had been instances of arrest of AR officers and personnel in drug trafficking like the arrest of Col Burari of AR along with AR soldier named Letmin Haokip and a policeman in 1998-99 and arrest of 39 AR commandant Jasjit Singh by Mizoram and Assam police.
In view of these unsavoury activities, people are suspicious of nexus between AR and narco-terrorists, COCOMI said adding that the AR is aiding narco-terrorists in attacking innocent indigenous villagers in the ongoing violence instead of giving protection.
In view of suspicious activities of AR, trust of the people of Manipur on central forces is diminishing every day and this should be well aware to the GOI, the COCOMI said and urged the centre to remove AR from Manipur and deploy forces trusted by the people who could keep intact national security as well.
The COCOMI also asked the GOI to set a time for removal of AR battalions from Manipur.
The COCOMI also asked private transport services to stop transportation of central forces immediately to prevent unwanted incidents when they encounter women blocking roads in different parts of the state.