FOCS suspects AR hands in Meeteis fleeing Borobekra
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 26 2024: Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) has expressed suspicion of involvement of Assam Rifles in the mass expulsion of Meeteis from Borobekra sub-division of Jiribam district, and demanded the government to remove Assam Rifles deployed in the area to facilitate resettlement of the displaced Meetei population.

In a statement, FOCS strongly condemned the arson act committed on the house of one Heikrujam Maniton, which is located just 500 metres from Borobekra police station.

Considering the deployment of Assam Rifles troops in the area, who are assigned the duty of preventing violence, there are high possibilities of complicity of Assam Rifles in driving out the Meeteis from the area.

There is no reason to call the burning down of a house in the vicinity of a police station with regular ROP of Assam Rifles at dusk a strategic act targeting Meetei community, FOCS said while demanding the authority to book the perpetrators at the earliest.

In case of arrest, FOCS said, the district police own responsibility if they were forced to release the perpetrators due to political pressure.

FOCS also demanded the state government and district administration to remove Assam Rifles from the area and replace them with state force at the earliest so that the displaced Meetei residents of the area could resettle.

All the arson incidents that occurred in the area were executed in the vicinity of CAPF personnel and posts and they should be held accountable for allowing such criminal acts under their watch, the FOCS statement added.

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