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The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has accused the Assam Rifles of bias in the ongoing ethnic conflict, citing the opposition voiced by Kuki-Zo bodies and MLAs to a plan to replace the force with the Central Reserve Police Force.
“The hue and cry of the Kuki-Zo civil bodies and subsequent letters submitted by the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs to Prime Minister and Union Home Minister is nothing but a clear indication that the Assam Rifles have been siding with the Chin Kuki Narco Terrorist,” the influential conglomerate of Meitei bodies said in a statement.
COCOMI pointed out that the Manipur Government had requested additional paramilitary forces after the violence erupted on May 3, 2023, and that the Central Government sanctioned several forces, including the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Jat Regiment and the Gorkha Regiment.
The statement said the public had frequently voiced its discontent with the Assam Rifles, which the conglomerate accused of worsening the ethnic conflict. The conglomerate further alleged that the suspicion about the Assam Rifles “supporting the narco terrorist” were strengthened by the Kuki-Zo groups’ and their MLAs’ “support” for the paramilitary force.
COCOMI further said the Kuki-Zo groups did not protest when other central forces, such as CRPF, BSF, Jat Regiment, and Gorkha Regiment, were withdrawn from the state. “This situation has intensified concerns about the Assam Rifles’ role in the conflict,” its statement added.
The Kuki-Zo groups have opposed the Centre’s reported plan to replace two Assam Rifles battalions, stationed in Kangvai and Kangpokpi, by the CRPF. The two battalions are likely to be sent to Jammu and Kashmir after the increase in militancy in the region.
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