Manipur: CoTU welcomes arrest of insurgent in Assam Rifles killings, urges reimposition of AFSPA in valley

Sadar Hills-based Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has commended the Director General of Police, Manipur, for the swift arrest of the perpetrator responsible for the killing of two Assam Rifles personnel in Bishnupur district on September 19.

The slain soldiers, NB-Sub Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Kashyap, of the 33 Assam Rifles, were brutally gunned down at Nambol Sabal Leikai, an area where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) is currently not in force. The attack, attributed to proscribed militant outfit PLA, had triggered widespread outrage among the Kuki-Zo community.

While appreciating the government’s decisive step in apprehending the accused PLA cadre on September 24, CoTU stressed that the incident exposed the vulnerability of security personnel in the absence of AFSPA in valley districts.

“Without AFSPA, the security forces are handicapped in countering secessionist outfits that reject the Indian Union. Restoring AFSPA in all 19 police stations of the valley is essential to safeguard soldiers and maintain the integrity of the nation,” CoTU stated.

Earlier, CoTU had threatened a 72-hour economic blockade beginning September 22 to demand accountability and security assurances. The blockade was withdrawn the same day after government intervention and assurances of swift action—a promise partly fulfilled by the arrest of the militant.

Reiterating its call, CoTU warned that continued absence of AFSPA could embolden militant groups like PLA, UNLF, PREPAK, MPLA, and Arambai Tenggol, posing grave risks to both national security and regional stability.