After several tribal organisations, 10 Manipur MLAs, who have been demanding a separate administration or a Union Territory for the tribals, urged the Prime Minister and Home Minister separately not to withdraw two battalions of Assam Rifles from the Kuki-Zo-Hmar inhabited tribal areas.
The 10 tribal MLAs, including two ministers -- Nemcha Kipgen and Letpao Haokip -- in separate memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, said that "it is pertinent to cite that the un-biased service of the Assam Rifles in the fringe areas has been obviously instrumental in prevention of further escalation of violence till date".
"The role played by the Assam Rifles so far in maintenance of law and order is absolutely neutral," the legislators said in their August 2 memorandum, released to the media on Saturday.
They claimed that the withdrawal of two battalions of the Assam Rifles from their current sensitive deployment at Kangvai and Kangpokpi is being done following "pressure from the state government".
The MLAs said: "To maintain the current status-quo particularly in the buffer-zones separating the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, the undaunted and unbiased presence of the Assam Rifles is highly indispensable at this stage."
Of the 10 tribal MLAs, seven are from the ruling BJP, two are from the Kuki People's Alliance and one is an Independent.
Citing insecurity in Imphal, these legislators have been boycotting the Manipur assembly sessions, including the ongoing budget session, since the ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state in May last year.
Highly placed official sources in Imphal said that two battalions of the Assam Rifles will be moved from Manipur to Jammu and Kashmir to intensify counter-terror operations.
Instead, two battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) would be deployed in Kuki-Zo-Hmar inhabited Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts.
The counter-insurgency trained Assam Rifles, which operates under Army officers, has been hugely deployed since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023.
Earlier, many Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal organisations including Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an apex body of tribals in Manipur, Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council, Zo United, Kuki Students' Organisation are agitating against the withdrawal of the Assam Rifles from the tribal dominated areas and also urged the Prime Minister and Home Minister not to withdraw the para-military force.
On the other hand, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the Meitei community and a few other organisations have been demanding the replacement of the Assam Rifles by any other Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
The COCOMI recently declared an indefinite boycott of the Assam Rifles in the state.
73rd B.N. Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship begins, CM lauds Police's role
Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today lauded the role of Tripura Police in carrying out various social activities, apart from significantly improving the state's law and order situation.
Tripura to create, fill up 333 posts in various departments
The Tripura Government has announced plans to create and fill up 333 posts across multiple state departments. The decision was taken during a recent cabinet meeting and was revealed by Cabinet Spokesperson Sushanta Chowdhury at a press conference on Monday.
Explosions near Russian Consulate in France have signs of terrorist attack: Moscow
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday stated that explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in France's Marseilles resemble a terrorist attack.
Air Force Base in Bangladesh attacked, several injured
In a major incident of lawlessness that is currently prevailing in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus, several miscreants launched an ambush attack on an Air Force Base in Cox's Bazar on the southeast coast of the country.
Indian tech industry to hit $300 bn revenue in FY26, workforce to reach 5.8 mn in FY25
The Indian tech industry is projected to reach $300 billion revenue in FY26, a Nasscom report said on Monday, adding that in the current fiscal (estimated), the industry will add at least 126,000 net new employees, taking the total workforce to 5.8 million.
Telangana tunnel collapse: L&T teams with advanced equipment join rescue operation
Two teams of construction major Larsen & Toubro with advanced equipment on Monday joined the operation to rescue eight trapped workers from an under-construction tunnel, a portion of which collapsed on February 22 in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district.
Right time to invest in Madhya Pradesh: PM Modi at Global Investors Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Global Investors Summit here highlighting investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh and urging investors to tap available potential in the state.
Govt backs India Inc. bid to become major exporter of power equipment
India is on the path to becoming a major exporter of power equipment, with global players showing strong interest in the country’s domestic manufacturing capabilities, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Pankaj Agarwal has said.