Armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol on Wednesday administered oaths to 37 MLAs and two MPs from Manipur to unite and protect the state.
This came after the armed group called the legislators for a meeting at the Kangla Fort in Imphal. The call was prompted by the killings of civilians and police commandos by suspected militants in the past two weeks, reported NDTV.
A large number of police officials and personnel from the central armed forces were deployed to prevent armed members of the Arambai Tenggol from entering the Kangla Fort. However, the security forces did not resist their entry into the premises, a senior police official said.
After the event on Wednesday, Arambai Tenggol chief Korounganba Khuman said at a public gathering that the MLAs from Valley districts have assured the group that they will convey the concerns of the residents to the Union government, reported PTI.
“If the Centre does not listen to our concerns, we [legislators] will take the movement to protect Manipur along with the people,’ Khuman quoted the legislators.
The Arambai Tenggol chief said that state ministers as well as Opposition leaders signed a six-point agreement. They agreed to take action as laid out in the agreement within 15 days, he claimed.
“Our points included removal of Suspension of Operations, implementation of NRC [National Register of Citizens], replacement of Assam Rifles and removal of Kuki illegal immigrants from Scheduled Tribe list to bring peace,” Khuman said.
He added: “What we wanted to show today is that ministers and MLAs are under the public. They also agreed not to indulge in internal squabbling among themselves.”
A Suspension of Operations agreement was signed between the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – the Kuki National Organisations and United Peoples Front – in 2008.
Under the agreement, the security forces as well as the militant groups are prohibited from launching operations. The militant groups must abide by the laws of the land and are also confined to designated camps identified by the Central government.
On Sunday, 34 MLAs had adopted a resolution to revoke the agreement, claiming that the immunity it provides to the armed groups from central forces is “the main cause of the never-ending cycle of violence” in Manipur.
Alleging that the Assam Rifles were “mute spectators” when civilians were being fired upon, the MLAs said that the central paramilitary forces needed to be replaced with “forces that have the ability to act by returning suppressive fire”.
On Wednesday morning, security forces were deployed in large numbers across Imphal as tension gripped the city.
A three-member team of the Union home ministry has met representatives of Arambai Tenggol since it arrived in the northeastern state on Monday night.
Kuki groups have expressed concern about the meetings, alleging that the Meitei organisation has been involved in killing Kuki-Zos since May, reported Deccan Herald. They claim that the N Biren Singh-led state government supports Meitei armed groups such as the Arambai Tenggol and Meetei Leepun. The government, however, has denied the allegation.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since early May. Over 200 people have been killed since the conflict broke out and nearly 67,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes.
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