Manipur tribals protest deployment of ‘additional’ police commandos in border town Moreh
The Hindu
Tribal women in Manipur's Moreh town protest against additional police commandos. Talks held by Assam Rifles & security officers, yet to be addressed. Kuki Inpi & COTU claim efforts to induct more police personnel from Imphal Valley may disturb peace.
A section of tribal women in Manipur’s Moreh town bordering Myanmar has been protesting against the deployment of “additional” police commandos for the past few days.
Women are on a sit-in at Chikim village, around 3 km from Tengnoupal district’s Moreh, a Kuki majority town.
Officials said that a commandant of the Assam Rifles and other security officers held a series of talks with the protesters in the last few days but the issue is yet to be addressed.
Several tribal organisations such as the Kuki Inpi and the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) claimed that efforts are on to induct more police personnel drawn from Imphal Valley in the town and this might disturb peace.
“Despite the strong presence of para-military forces and Indian Army manning the buffer zones and securing tranquillity within Moreh, the deployment of additional Meitei police through night choppers is of grave concern,” COTU said in a statement.
It claimed that the recovery of arms and ammunition in recent operations in Imphal East district is “stage-managed” to malign the community.
Kuki Inpi also demanded removal of the checkpoints allegedly set up by Meiteis in Kakching Lamkhai and Wangjing areas along the Imphal-Moreh road, where essential commodities that were transported to Moreh and Tengnoupal sub-division are being “blocked”.