Imphal, February 14 2009: Caught in a state of dilemma owing to ambiguous State Government policy and threat by some armed outfits the Special Police Officers (SPOs) from heirok village in Thoubal district have given wake up call to the State authorities to do the needful failing which the trained youths threatened to resort to other method for protection of their village.

The SPOs had undergone basic military training under a specific programme of the Government to protect their village in the aftermath of activists of an underground group gunning down three persons, including two girls in March last year.

The SPOs, who have recently completed the sixmonth training course under the sponsorship of the State Government had been demanding similar recognition accorded to the police force.

Highlighting grievances at a media briefing, Group leader (SPO-C Coy) Thokchom Romen informed that even after completion of the training at Manipur Police Training School (Pangei) in December the Government is yet to make concerted effort for construction of barracks or provide necessary equipments such as arms and uniforms.

With the exception of parading the trained SPOs in the morning and again in the evening at an Indian Reserve battalion post at Heirok it is informed that the SPOs are not assigned for any noteworthy tasks and have to remain at their respective homes throughout the day/night.

He, however, conveyed that Rs 3000 monthly remuneration are provided to the SPOs by the Government.

Stating that amid threats from some underground groups not to set up SPOs, the Heirok youngsters have braved such intimidatory tactics to safeguard themselves from disruptive elements only to be practically ignored by the Government, Romen observed that reluctance by the state authorities to honour justifiable demands of the SPOs is akin to not only exposing the SPOs to the UGs but the Government itself seems to fear the rebels.

It is also informed that grievances of the SPOs had already been highlighted to the Union Home Ministry, the Governor and the Chief Minister himself without any positive response till date.

The Group Leader also ridiculed the State Cabinet's recent decision to rename the SPOs as Village Defence Force (VDF) and fresh recruitment of over 1000 VDFs saying that when nothing could be done with regard to ther SPOs it would be wishful thinking, if not misleading, on the purposes recruitment of additional VDFs.

stating that threat and intimidation upon Heirok villagers by the UGs would persist, Romen cautioned that all the 300 SPOs will form an armed group whether legal or not to protect the villagers after abandoning SPO if their immediate requirements are not addressed at the earliest.

We may also boycott the ensuing Lok Sabha election, he maintained.

Mentioned may be made that an officer of the police department had cited non-completion of land acquisition process as the main factor for delay in setting up barracks for the SPOs thereby impeding immediate deployment for duty.

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