New Delhi, Sept 15: Amid the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, a prominent Meitei group has intensified its efforts to persuade the government to remove the Assam Rifles from the conflict-torn state. Representatives from the Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC) held a meeting with India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, to underscore their demand for the replacement of Assam Rifles by another security force.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a collective representing dominant Meitei groups, has been consistently urging the removal of Assam Rifles, alleging bias on the force’s part. This move comes in the wake of protests by Meitei women groups against Assam Rifles, which they accuse of partiality.
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COCOMI representatives have met Union Home Minister Amit Shah multiple times since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May. The violence has resulted in a death toll of at least 175 and displaced around 50,000 individuals.
Khuraijam Athouba, a COCOMI spokesperson, revealed that DMCC submitted a memorandum during the meeting with Rajnath Singh. The memorandum highlighted concerns related to the threat posed by Kuki militant groups and the alleged partiality of Assam Rifles. Kuki groups, on the other hand, have blamed Meitei militant groups for the violence.
However, the DMCC expressed their concerns about Kuki groups approaching the United Nations to resolve the Manipur crisis, which they found embarrassing. He reiterated that Meitei insurgency groups had already been banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs before the year 2000, and appropriate legal actions have been taken against them. However, no actions have been taken against Kuki militants, who continue to engage in violence, according to Athouba.
The delegation informed Rajnath Singh that Assam Rifles displayed bias when dealing with Meitei and Kuki protesters. They also raised concerns about narco-terrorism, illegal immigrants, identification processes, and the suspension of operations agreements.
