Kumar Bahukhandi
New Delhi. Since the first week of September, the same form of violence is being seen in Manipur which was seen in the month of July, August in 2023. From aerial bombing by drones to launching RPGs and the use of sophisticated weapons have made the situation sensitive. Ethnic violence continues in Manipur and there seems to be no end to it, rather there are signs of it growing more aggressively in the coming days. Amid the increasing violence in the state, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has imposed emergency .
CM met the Governor in Imphal and informed him about the current situation. The Chief Minister of Manipur will also submit a resolution passed by the MLAs to the Governor. A public emergency has been declared after the killings in the valley. COCOMI (Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity) has issued a strict ultimatum, demanding concrete action from the Indian Armed Forces to deal with the crisis within five days.
Strict measures will be taken to protect the indigenous population. Which also includes the expulsion of central forces from Manipur. The Committee (COCOMI) has been accusing the central forces, especially the Assam Rifles, of complicity and has now set a deadline of 5 days for the Indian forces to take action against Kuki militant groups or withdraw from Manipur. It says that the people of Manipur have lost confidence in the central forces as they have failed to control the situation. On September 1, 2024, Kuki militants carried out an attack, including aerial bombing using drones in Koutruk areas of Imphal West, killing a mother and injuring 10 civilians. This was followed by drone bombings in Senjam Chirang in Imphal West, in which more than 50 bombs were dropped. Many animals were injured in this.
COCOMI says these attacks were carried out from militant camps located near Assam Rifles posts, yet no intervention was made. On September 5, 2024, missile attacks were carried out from a distance of 7 km targeting Tronglaobi and Moirang in Bishnupur district. COCOMI has declared an indefinite public emergency in Manipur from September 6, 2024. Meanwhile, the apex body of the Kuki tribe has also issued a statement accusing armed miscreants of the valley of targeting the Kuki Zo community. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) alleges that Meitei militants attacked Kuki-Zo areas in the last two days in an attempt to divert attention from the leaked audio tape of the Manipur Chief Minister on Saturday, 07 September 2024.
