Manipur: Tribal body calls resolution to abrogate SoO as "against peace", calls for total shutdown, rally

The Committee on Tribal Unity, or the CoTU, Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District, strongly condemned the recent resolution in the Manipur legislative assembly seeking the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the hill based groups.

The CoTU termed the assembly resolution as "Communalised and against peace" and has decided to impose a 24-hour total shutdown in the Sadar Hills in Kangpokpi district. The total shutdown in the entire Sadar Hills Kangpokpi district will begin at 10:00 a.m. on March 4 and culminate at 10:00 am on March 5.

The committee has also decided to organize a public rally on March 4 to demonstrate resentment over the alleged "communalised and derogatory resolution" adopted in the assembly.

Vehemently opposing the resolution passed by the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on February 29, CoTU's Information Secretary, Thangtinlen Haokip said that the Committee is astounded at the attempt of Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his cohorts in the state assembly to divert the general public from the imbroglio prevalent in Imphal by adopting, in particular, a resolution to abrogate SoO with the UPF and KNO outfits.

He also said that the state assembly's resolution adopted in the interest of one community has accentuated the irrelevance of the Government concerning the Kuki-Zo people while adding that the exclusive focus on the Kuki-Zos not only highlighted the Government's acquiescence to the unconstitutional diktat of some fringe groups, but categorically presents its undesirable pathological nature.

"The untoward development in the state assembly amplified the importance of Kuki-Zo's demand for Constitutional safeguards to be addressed by the Government of India at the earliest in the interest of communal harmony and peace", he asserted.

Haokip also said that Chief Minister N Biren Singh has miserably failed to control the fringe elements and armed militias from breaching the "Rules of Law" by openly brandishing looted arms from the state police armouries and his reluctance to take action against them.

Such a situation calls for an immediate declaration of all valley districts as "Disturbed Areas" and the imposition of the Armed Forces Special Power Act, or the AFSPA, in all 19 Police Stations in the valley districts to aid in the curtailing terror acts of state-sponsored pogroms, he added.