• Manipur police file FIR against Assam Rifles for 'obstructing search ops'

    North East
    Manipur police file FIR against Assam Rifles for 'obstructing search ops'

    The police claim that Assam Rifles members obstructed their vehicles on the Kwakta Gothol road in the Bishnupur district in the FIR, which was filed on August 5.

    Digital Desk: Amid the increasing calls for the Assam Rifles to leave the northeastern state, the Manipur Police have filed a case against them. In significant regions of conflict, CRPF personnel have also taken the role of AR troops. Nine Assam Rifles members have been charged with "disobeying law by public servant with intent to cause injury to any person, obstructing public servant in charge of public function."

    The police were reportedly prevented from pursuing insurgents by the Assam Rifles, according to a report citing them. The police claim that Assam Rifles members obstructed their vehicles on the Kwakta Gothol road in the Bishnupur district in the FIR, which was filed on August 5.

    The state police were conducting search operations on Pholjang Road "in an arms act case in search of Kuki militants" when 9 AR parked their 'Casper' car, stopped the road, and obstructed traffic.

    In the meantime, the Manipur BJP unit urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to permanently replace the Assam Rifles with "any other paramilitary forces" for the benefit of the general populace. To put an end to the escalating ethnic conflict, they had also requested his intervention.

    The issue was raised forcefully with the state administration at a high level, according to a PTI report quoting Army sources. According to defence sources, "Assam Rifles was carrying out a task assigned by the command headquarters to ensure the sanctity of the buffer zones between Kuki and Meitiei areas."

    Since ethnic hostilities between the Meities and Kukis tribes broke out, Manipur has been in the news frequently. After the Manipur High Court requested that the state administration take into consideration adding one of the communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes, the agitation got underway. Since then, there have been more than 160 fatalities and hundreds of injuries.