Manipur violence: Kuki-Zo women demand removal of security forces from Moreh, block highway

Thousands of discontented Kuki-Zo women in Manipur's Tengnoupal District have their dinner in the middle of the highway at night as they block the road to stop the state forces from entering the border town Moreh on July 28.

Tension ran high after the alleged Manipur Government's aggressive attempt to transport state forces in the strife-torn Moreh town.

The state security forces convoy of ten vehicles including the Indian Reserve Battalion, Manipur Rifles, and the Commando personnel were heading towards Moreh town when the women folks obstructed them at Tengnoupal.

The alleged aggressive attempt for additional deployment of state security forces in Moreh town amidst the strong demand for the removal of Police Commandos from the border town enraged the Kuki-Zo community and the womenfolks subsequently blocked the highway.

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According to the Kuki Inpi Manipur General Secretary, Khaikhohauh Gangte, Manipur Government is allegedly dispatching a large convoy of state police commandos and other state forces to Moreh town and the radical groups are embedded with the convoy.

He continued that the aggressive move by the Government posed a serious threat to the security of the Kuki civilians in the border town area given the fact that the involvement of the state police forces and radical groups in the ongoing violence is self-evident.

The KIM General Secretary also apprised the Union Home Minister that contrary to your assurances on your visit to the border town on May 1 to withdraw the police commandos as soon as you reach back Imphal, the police commandos continue to station at Moreh, and the helicopter service between Imphal and Moreh has been used to transport more police commandos and the militants continually in the border town.

He also said that while there is an intense stand-off between the security convoy and the discontented Kuki womenfolk at Tengnoupal, the continual stationing of police commandos Moreh border town aggravated the already volatile situation.

"The current attempt to deploy additional state forces including the police commandos is uncalled for and unjustified", he added.

It may be recalled that the womenfolk from the Kuki-Zo community has been urging the authority concerned to withdraw the police commandos from Moreh town and the people of Moreh had also sought the Union Home Minister's intervention for withdrawal of police commandos when he visited the border town in May.

The Kuki-Zo women of Moreh town also highlighted that the district administration of Tengnoupal had conveyed to the people in a meeting of Kuki-Zo civil society organizations with officials from the district administration in the presence of representatives of Sector 26 Assam Rifles that the Ministry of Home Affairs has passed an order for deployment and assurance of safe passage to Manipur Commandos to Moreh.

However, it has been ascertained that no such order has been passed by the MHA, rather the attempt to deploy reinforcement of state forces in Moreh has its genesis at the Chief Minister's Office, Imphal, conveyed the discontented Kuki womenfolk.

The intense stand-off between the Kuki-Zo womenfolks and the security forces continued at Tengnoupal till the filing of this report.