Remove State Forces From Hills, Re-Impose AFSPA: Key Kuki-Zo Group To Centre
NDTV
The Committee also appealed to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah to immediately reimpose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the entire valley for the Indian army to tackle the situation.
The powerful Kuki-Zo groups in violence-hit Manipur has urged the Centre to remove state police forces from hills and reimpose the stringent Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, in valley areas. In areas where the Kuki tribes are a majority, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) had called for a 24-hour shutdown till Wednesday midnight and have now urged Home Minister Amit Shah to remove state forces from the border town Moreh and impose controversial AFSPA in the valley region
The 24-hour total shutdown called by the CoTU Sadar Hills and ITLF Churachandpur started in the zero hours of this morning. The shutdown was imposed to protest against the alleged atrocities of the state forces and to demand their removal from all Kuki-Zo districts in Manipur.
The two top Kuki-Zo tribal bodies urged the Centre to remove all state forces, especially commandos from Moreh and the surrounding tribal majority settlements. They stated that there could be "no peace" as long as state forces are deployed in the area.
