CM for the whole of Manipur and not only the valley : COCOMI
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 26 2023: Amit Shah is the Union Home Minister of the whole of India and as such, he shouldn't just choose to oversee the affairs only in the hills of Manipur.

He should take the responsibility of solving the crisis in the whole of Manipur, said the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) today.

This statement of COCOMI came after Chief Minister N Biren Singh briefed the media about the meeting he had in Delhi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Briefing the media, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had reportedly said that the Union Minister had advised him to oversee the situation/solve the issues in the valley while he (Amit Shah) will take the responsibility of overseeing the situation in the hills to bring peace.

Reacting to this, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) said dividing the valley and the hills and splitting up the responsibilities is not the right path to to bring peace in Manipur.

The Union Home Minister must have given the advice on a positive note to end the crisis but it has created unrest and confusion among the people.

This ambiguity has made the public question the intention of the Government.

The public have started asking whether this arrangement is a precursor to a possible creation of a separate administration within Manipur, said COCOMI.

Manipur is like a whole body that can't survive when a vital organ is taken out.

The valley and the hills can't be divided and Manipur will not remain Manipur if the two are divided, added COCOMI.

As Amit Shah is the Union Home Minister of India, he should take the responsibility of the whole State and solve the crisis without creating any hill-valley division in the efforts.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh is not the Chief Minister of only the valley.

He is the Chief Minister of the whole of Manipur and as such, entrusting him to oversee the affairs in the valley only is wrong, asserted COCOMI.

The Coordinating Committee further stated that while it welcomed the all political party meeting held on June 24 in Delhi, it is not happy with the exclusion of the most important and significant agenda and National security matter concerning activities of narco-terrorists, drugs and infiltration of immigrants into Manipur.

Meanwhile, it urged the public, who are keeping vigil on the roads amid the current situation to maintain order and conduct checking of persons and vehicles for valid reasons.

It urged the public not to use harsh words that may hurt the sentiments of people of other communities and allow swift and free passage to patients, health and essential services vehicles and personnel.

Echoing the same criticism, the Federation of Civil Society Organisation (FOCS) said they suspect a hidden agenda behind the arrangement advised by the Union Home Minister.

Speaking to media persons at the office of FOCS at Wangkhei Ningthem Pukhri Mapal, its president, Manihar said the crisis should be solved without any division of responsibility.

To solve the crisis and bring peace, the Government and the armed forces must first control and stop the Kuki militants from attacking Meitei villages on the peripheries of the valley.

Normalcy will return when they stop all forms of violence, he added.

Manihar continued that there are around 25/26 Kuki militant groups under the United People's Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) as signatories of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact with the Government of India and Government of Manipur.

After an agreement was signed informally between the Assam Rifles and Kuki militants in 2005, the SoO agreement was made official on August 22, 2008 by the Government of India and the Government of Manipur.

Before making it official by the Centre and the State , the Assam Rifles, for years, was given the charge to oversee the affairs.

The result of this has haunted the people, Manihar said, hinting at the charge levelled by the public against the AR for siding with the Kuki militants amid the conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis/armed groups.

He alleged that the Kuki militants under SoO have been breaking the ground rules of the agreement by indulging in collection of illegal taxes from vehicles on the National Highways and poppy cultivation in the hills.

Moreover, after 4 places in Kanglatongbi Gram Panchayat area inhabited by the Meitei community were merged into areas under the Autonomous District Council, Kuki militants in 2011 had served 'quit notice' to the villages.

The Meitei people were forced to flee their villages and take shelter at Sekmai, said Manihar asserting that the present crisis was caused by the Kuki militants.

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