The Manipur Police has registered a suo motu First Information Report (FIR) against members of the 9th battalion of the Assam Rifles, accusing them of obstructing Bishnupur police personnel by allowing Kuki militants to flee during the violence in Kwakta last Sunday.The FIR, registered by the officer in charge of Phougakchao Police Station in Bishnupur district, has been filed under Section 186 (obstructing public servant from discharging their duty), Section 189 (threat of injury to public servant), Section 339 (wrongful restraint), and Section 503 (criminal intimidation).The FIR is linked to the aftermath of the violence in Bishnupurs Kwakta area, which claimed the lives of three Meitei residents on August 6. Later that day, two Kuki men were killed in retaliatory gunfire.A video depicting a heated confrontation between Assam Rifles personnel and Bishnupur police had previously gone viral, as reported by the news outlet Indian Express.The FIR alleges that Assam Rifles members blocked a road to Kwakta, impeding the local police from reaching the area. This action purportedly permitted suspected Kuki militants to flee following their attack before the police could respond.According to the FIR, the Phougakcho Police Station officer-in-charge said that teams of Manipur police from the Bishnupur district were moving towards Pholjang Road in Churachandpur along Kwakta Ward 8 at around 6:30 AM, with their objective being to conduct search operations “to trace out the accused Kuki militants that might have been taking shelter at the adjoining area between Kwakta and Pholjang village.”While returning from the search operation, the police teams were allegedly stopped and blocked by personnel of the 9th Assam Rifles by parking their armoured truck Casper vehicle in the middle of the Kwakta Pholjang Road.While Kuki groups in Manipur have held the state government and police accountable for violence against them, the Assam Rifles has drawn ire in Meitei-dominated areas in the valley for allegedly supporting Kuki militant factions. The Manipur state unit of the BJP has even submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the removal of the Assam Rifles from the state in the interest of the general public. The BJP unit has called for their replacement by any other paramilitary forces, according to the Indian Express.Assam Rifles condemn fabricated attempts to malign Army in ManipurThe Armys Spear Corps, in a statement, denounced what it called fabricated attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Assam Rifles. The Spear Corps wrote on Twitter that orchestrated efforts have aimed to defame the Assam Rifles reputation.𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 & 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙉𝙤𝙣𝙚Our message 👆to All Ranks deployed in #Manipur for restoring peace & normalcy @adgpi @easterncomd @official_dgar pic.twitter.com/J8mzr63HRc— SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) August 8, 2023It said, “Some inimical elements have made desperate, repeated, and failed attempts to question the role, intent, and integrity of the Central security forces, especially Assam Rifles, working relentlessly towards saving lives and restoration of peace in Manipur from May 3 onwards.“It needs to be understood that due to the complex nature of the situation on the ground in Manipur, occasional differences at tactical level do occur between various security forces. However, all such misunderstandings at the functional level are immediately addressed through the joint mechanism to synergize the efforts for restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur.“Two instances have emerged over the past 24 hours aimed at maligning Assam Rifles. While in first case, the Assam Rifles Battalion has acted strictly in accordance with the mandate of the Unified Headquarters of strict enforcement of Buffer Zone guidelines towards the aim of preventing violence between the two communities, the second case of Assam Rifles being moved out of an area is not even related to them. An Infantry Battalion of the Army is deployed in the area (ever since the crisis erupted in May) from where the narrative of Assam Rifles being moved out has been made.“Indian Army & Assam Rifles assure the people of Manipur that we will continue to remain firm and resolute in our actions to prevent any attempt that could result in furthering violence in an already volatile atmosphere.”
