Dr Bimol urges Bhalla to protect farmers' rights
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 16 2025: Lok Sabha Member Dr Bimol Akoijam has urged Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to protect the rights of farmers and allow them to cultivate crops on their fields without any disturbances.

Dr Bimol Akoijam and Khundrakpam AC MLA Th Lokeshwor today called on the Governor and talked about the objections raised by some Kuki people, backed by Kuki militants against tilling of paddy fields by their rightful owners at Pukhao Leitanpokpi, Imphal East on June 15, 2025 which led to tense face off between the Kuki miscreants and the farmers.

Dr Bimol and Lokeshwor today visited Leitanpokpi Sadu Lampak where the confrontation took place before visiting the Governor.

Speaking to media persons at the Raj Bhavan gate after their meeting with the Governor, Dr Bimol Akoijam said that they urged the Governor to pay special attention to the report that a group of armed Kukis came down from the nearby hills when the Kuki miscreants and Meitei farmers were engaged in a tense face off with slingshots fired and stones pelted against each other.

Questioning as to why the Government has been doing very little to seize/re-cover weapons from the hills when all the weapons in the possession of village volunteers have been made to surrender in the valley, the Congress MP said that they appealed to the Governor to take up the process of disarmament judiciously and uniformly across both the hills and the valley in order to being a solution to the protracted crisis.

The spot where the armed Kukis were seen coming down is quite close to the paddy fields where a confrontation took place yesterday.

"Pointing out that many Central security forces including Assam Rifles are deployed in the area, we asked the Governor as to why the Central security forces did not prevent the armed Kuki militants from coming down", Dr Bimol told the media.

He said that video footage of Kuki miscreants shouting against the Meitei farmers with expletives and inflammatory words, firing slingshots and armed Kuki militants coming down from the adjoining hills was also submitted to Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

According to the Lok Sabha Member, the Governor was also urged to instruct security forces to carry out search operations and nab the Kuki militants who came down from the hills yesterday.

If the armed Kukis are allowed free movement, the semblance of peace seen in the State may be jeopardised, the Congress MP told the Governor.

"We also asked the BSF and Assam Rifles officers stationed in Leitanpokpi area to see that there are no disturbances to cultivation of crops at Leitanpokpi by rightful landowners/ farmers", Dr Bimol said.

The Governor reportedly assured that necessary steps would be initiated after a joint meeting with the Chief Secretary, the DGP and the Security Advisor.

Th Lokeshwor said that the people as well as security forces have seen the presence of armed Kuki militants in the adjoining hills of Leitanpokpi.

"We asked the Governor how the Kuki militants could come to the Kuki villages where there is an Assam Rifles camp above and a BSF camp at the foothill", the MLA said.

The Governor further assured that the Government will work to nab the Kuki militants and no culpable person will be let off, according to Lokeshwor.

The Governor further assured that illegal weapons would be seized from the hill areas too and the Government will never in a partisan or biased manner.

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