FIR against AR emerges
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 09 2023:
Days after State police filed an FIR against Assam Rifles for obstructing their "law bound duty", an old FIR has now surfaced making such cases against the Assam Rifles two.
The Sangai Express has learned that the FIR was filed in connection with an incident that happened on June 2 at Sugnu police station.
Sources said the FIR was filed against the 37 Assam Rifles for obstructing the road and gates of Sugnu police station using Casspir vehicles.
This incident happened when violence was at its peak at Serou area where Kuki militants had burnt down numerous Meitei houses forcing hundreds to flee to relief camps opened at Kakching, Wabagai and Thoubal etc.
Interestingly, a video showing a tense face-off between the Sugnu police and the Assam Rifles was shared among many.
The video shows military vehicles of the Assam Rifles parked in front of the gates of Sugnu police station while police personnel engaged in an exchange of words with the AR personnel to remove the vehicles.
While the vehicles were removed some time later, this video had further fomented the distrust that the people, especially the Meira Paibis had for the Assam Rifles.
While this was the first FIR filed against Assam Rifles, the second and the latest was filed just a few days ago against 9th Assam Rifles for obstructing their duty.
On August 5, Bishnupur police commandos including its SP were stopped by Assam Rifles on the road when the former were responding to the murder of three Meitei civilians including a father and son duo at Kwakta.
The three civilians were killed in their homes while they were sleeping by Kuki militants in the wee hours of August 5.The three were shot dead and mutilated, according to police.
As per the FIR registered against the AR, police said they were conducting a search operation to nab militants suspected to have been involved in the killing of the three men when they were stopped and blocked by the AR using Casspir vehicles.
While AR has reportedly claimed that they were enforcing strict buffer zone guidelines to prevent violence between members of communities, question has been raised from certain quarters as to "how the three Meitei civilians who were sleeping at their homes well within the area of the buffer zone were killed by Kuki militants" .