Senior Manipur police officers K Muivah and K Jayant Singh at a joint media briefing
Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi:
Manipur Police have blamed an armed group, whose members call themselves “Village Defense Volunteers”, for the attack on the house of a senior police officer in the state capital Imphal on Tuesday night.
Following the attack, the state called in central forces, including the Army, to Imphal city, from where the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, or AFSPA, had been lifted years ago. This law allows security forces to operate anywhere and arrest anyone without a warrant. AFSPA is active in the hilly areas due to the presence of insurgents of multiple ethnicities along the troubled Myanmar border.
Police said in a statement on Thursday that members of Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei youth organisation, whose members are accused of looting weapons from state armouries, carried out a “targeted attack” on the house of senior police officer Moirangthem Amit Singh, who along with His team had seized two stolen cars on Tuesday.
This was the first time that the Manipur Police openly admitted the involvement of Arambai Tenggol or AT in any violent act.
Manipur Police Commando conducts symbolic “arms down” protest against attack on a police officer by Arambai Tenggol
AT enjoys widespread support in the valley areas. Their supporters say the AT serves as a layer of defense in the absence of state forces in the foothills, where the Kuki-Zo tribe and the Meitei have clashed most.
Condemning the attack on the officer’s house near Imphal East area, the police said in the statement, “Police officers Moirangthem Amit Singh, P Achouba Meitei and others have been working tirelessly and contributing to the efforts to ensure law and order in the state. Have been.”
Police said armed members of Arambai Tenggol had also vandalized vehicles and a clinic belonging to Mr Singh’s family, seven of whose members are doctors.
“The officers were just doing their duty”
Inspector General of Police K Muivah and K Jayant Singh said in a joint media briefing that targeting the senior police officer who was only performing his duty under difficult circumstances was “extremely unfortunate”.
“Our appeal to the public is to extend maximum cooperation to the police. Civil society organizations should also understand the situation because if we are not able to perform, other security agencies will have to come to our aid, and we have done all those things. We have experienced what it was like in the last decades. We do not want to return to the past,” Mr Muivah told reporters in Imphal on Thursday.
“If the civil police are not able to perform their duties due to lack of public cooperation, or obstruction by civil society organisations, what generally happens is that, like all other States, the central security forces automatically come to the rescue.” Have to come for,” she said.
“That means CRPF, BSF, Assam Rifles, Army, everyone will have to come to assist. And then the situation will have to be resolved in a way that may be far more undesirable, may be far different from what the police would do ” Normal situation,” Mr Muivah said, also referring to the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force.
In a statement issued to the media after the briefing, the police said the AT “is engaged in several anti-social activities like attacking civilians and snatching vehicles from the public and government officials.”
“They are also involved in extortion from the public and businessmen. They are gathering false support from them under the guise of public safety, but are carrying out many anti-social and criminal acts. The public should not be misled, but should cooperate. Needed.” “Manipur Police is engaged in bringing peace and tranquility in the state,” the police said in a statement.
To prevent law and order problems as a result of AT-related violence in Imphal, district magistrates of the two Kuki-Zo tribes-dominated hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and the two Meitei-dominated valley districts of Bishnupur and Thoubal were called in Is. In the army to help maintain law and order. NDTV has seen copies of the orders issued by the four magistrates.
When AT asked political leaders to work for the people
On January 24, AT summoned over 35 MLAs and other leaders to the Kangla Fort in the heart of Imphal and administered an oath to them to protect the territorial integrity of Manipur. The fort served as the seat of power of the Kingdom of Manipur before independence, and hence a symbolic gesture for the Meiteis to keep Manipur intact for all communities amid the demand by the Kuki-Zo tribes for a separate administration of Manipur. There was meaning.
However, the optics of the swearing-in ceremony were criticized over the fact that a group that had taken up arms – no matter what their name – forced the elected representatives to obey them, Manipur Police sources told NDTV.
The violence between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the Meiteis in the northeastern state bordering Myanmar – which itself is struggling not to fragment as the junta is surrounded by pro-democracy armed groups – has now dragged on for 10 months. The Kuki-Zo people share ethnic and familial ties with the Chin people of Myanmar. Key factors in the Manipur tension include disagreements over land sharing, resources, political representation and affirmative action policies.
“Police ineffective in protecting us”: AT supporters
AT supporters in the valley say the police have been ineffective in dealing with attacks by suspected Kuki-Zo insurgents in the foothills. More than two dozen Kuki-Zo rebel groups fall under two umbrella groups – the Kuki National Organization (KNO), and the United People’s Front (UPF) – and both have signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. Central and State Government.
Broadly speaking, the SOO agreement – which is reviewed every year – states that rebels must live in designated camps and that their weapons be kept in closed storage, so that they can be regularly monitored. However, rebels who are part of the SoO agreement are reportedly taking part in the Manipur violence, with many of them missing during attendance calls at their designated camps.
The Manipur Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution asking the Center to cancel the controversial SoO agreement. The deadline for extension of the SOO agreement also expired on Thursday.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh, whom the Kuki-Zo tribe holds responsible for the Manipur violence, said in a post on Twitter on Thursday, “This decision has come in the interest of ensuring peace and security in the region.”
Ten months from May 2023, the Kuki-Zo tribes have accused the Meiteis of demolishing and occupying their vacant buildings in and around the Imphal Valley, while the Meiteis have leveled entire areas of their community in the hill district of Churachandpur. And accused of erasing it.
Both sides are accusing each other of atrocities. The Kuki-Zo tribes say their “Village Defense Volunteers” are repelling attacks by armed groups from the valley, who come to the hills of the “sensitive area” with clear intentions.
Both call themselves “Village Defense Volunteers”, this definition of belligerents has become the most controversial in Manipur as there is nothing stopping these “volunteers” from killing people under the insurance provided “in self defence”.
One similarity between the “Village Defense Volunteers” from both sides is that they appear well armed and equipped with modern war gear. Security forces have often recovered Russian-origin AKs and American-origin M series assault rifles, and gun models commonly used by both the junta’s forces and pro-democracy rebels in neighboring Myanmar.
More than 200 people have been killed in the violence and thousands have been internally displaced.
