Meitei Group Requests Withdrawal of Assam Rifles from Manipur in Meeting with Rajanth
Representatives of COCOMI, a group that unites civil society organizations in the Imphal Valley, met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and asked that the Assam Rifles leave the state because they were behaving unfairly.
According to a statement from the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which speaks for Meitei organisations, its representatives visited Singh on Thursday at his house in Delhi and gave him a note.
They alleged in the memorandum that the Kuki groups embarrassed the administration by turning to the UN to find a solution to the Manipur conflict.
According to the statement, they also discussed with Singh the concerns of drug terrorism, identifying illegal immigration, and the agreement to suspend operations.
On the other hand, the Kuki organizations have alleged prejudice on the part of the state police.
Ten Kuki state legislators pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to keep the Assam Rifles in the state because doing so may endanger tribal members’ security.
Since May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts to protest against the dominant Meitei community’s desire for Scheduled Tribe status, around 175 people have been murdered and 1,100 wounded as a result of ethnic violence in Manipur.
