In Manipur, Kuki groups demand action against CRPF; Meiteis write to PM Modi for rescue of 'abducted' persons

Guwahati: Hundreds of Kuki-Zo people staged a protest in Kuki-dominated districts in conflict-torn Manipur on Friday demanding a judicial inquiry into the killing of 10 armed persons by CRPF personnel in Jiribam district on November 7.

Meiteis, on the other hand, rushed a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for safe release of six persons, who were allegedly abducted by the Kuki-Zo persons on the same day. 

The Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights, based at Churachandpur organised the protest, which was also staged in two other Kuki-dominated districts, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal. The protesters, most wearing black, shouted slogans such as "We want justice," "CRPF go back" and "respect human rights."

The protesters said that they demand legal action against the CRPF as the 10 "village volunteers" were killed despite the Kuki-Zo organisations not confronting the central forces since the violence broke out in Manipur in May last year. Manipur police said the 10 "armed militants" were gunned down in "retaliatory action" after they allegedly attacked a CRPF camp and a police station in Jakuradhor and Borobekra in Jiribam district. Police said sophisticated weapons were seized from them.

The protesters also demanded action against the killing of a woman teacher allegedly by the Meitei armed persons. 

"The Kuki-Zo people have harbored a deep-seated distrust towards the CRPF when it comes to maintaining peace and sanctity in the buffer zone. Unlike the Assam Rifles, who have earned the trust of the community through their actions and commitments, the CRPF has consistently failed to instill confidence among the Kuki-Zo people," the organisation said in a memorandum addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"The recent mass killing involving the CRPF is a grave violation of human rights," it said. The organisation also wrote to the National Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention.

Meiteis write to PM Modi:

In a memorandum addressed to PM Modi, the Coordination Committee on Manipur Unity (COCOMI), a forum of organisations representing the Meitei community, said that six Meitei women and children, including one eight-month-old, were abducted in broad daylight by the "Chin-Kuki narco terrorists" in Jiribam district on November 7. "The heinous act has instilled widespread fear and insecurity among the people of Manipur, intensifying the already volatile security scenario in the state." 

Seeking the PM's immediate intervention, the COCOMI said action should be initiated against those who abducted the six and sought an investigation in the Ministry of Home Affairs' handling of the situation.    

"Should these innocent lives be harmed in any way, the consequences will be dire, and the government of India will bear full responsibility for the ramification," said the memorandum.  

Fresh tension have gripped Jiribam since November 7 when the 31-year-old Hmar woman teacher was allegedly raped and burned alive by suspected Meitei insurgents. 

Manipur has remained roiled in the Meitei-Kuki conflict since May last year in which nearly 240 people have been killed and over 60,000 others displaced. Sporadic incidents of violence have continued despite the presence of a large number of security forces including the army.