"No Cop Disarmed Before Violence": Manipur Police Trash 10 Tribal MLAs' Letter
NDTV
Manipur Director General of Police P Doungel in a statement said, "No such action was taken by the government or from any quarter"
The allegation by 10 tribal MLAs that the Manipur Police "stripped" Kuki cops of all powers and "disarmed" them before violence broke out between the Meiteis and the Kukis is blatantly false, the Manipur Police chief said in a statement on Friday.
Over 70 people have died since May 3 in clashes between the Meiteis, who live in and around the state capital Imphal valley, and the Kuki tribe, who are settled in the hills, over the valley residents' demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Following this, 10 tribal MLAs in BJP-ruled Manipur wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding a separate administration for tribals within the state, saying they "cannot live together anymore."
They also alleged in the letter that "all Kuku police officers... were stripped of all powers, disarmed and rendered inactive much prior to May 3, while Meitei police were let loose upon Kuki residents... As a result of the backlash in the hill areas, all Meitei police staff have abandoned their posts in all the hill stations."
