Centre stations 2 CRPF units in Manipur, Kukis oppose move

Two battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in Manipur by the Centre as part of its peace initiative there. They have replaced an equal number of battalions of Assam Rifles, which have been sent to Jammu and Kashmir.

Though official sources have claimed that the decision to replace two battalions of Assam Rifles with those of the CRPF has been taken to effectively man sensitive areas in the strife-torn state, Kuki groups have opposed the move.

They say that Assam Rifles, whose prime responsibility is to guard the Myanmar border, has won the trust of the minority tribal community, which mainly resides in the hill areas.

On the other hand, sources informed that the shifting out of Assam Rifles’ two battalions out of the state has been done on the behest of the Meitei groups, which had blamed the force to be “ineffective” during incidents of firing against civilians by extremists, especially in sensitive areas or conflict zones.

Incidentally, the two battalions of CRPF, which have replaced Assam Rifles, are stationed in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur, one of the two sensitive zones which have witnessed a spurt in violence.

Meiteis had also alleged that Assam Rifles personnel block the movement of the local police.

The Kuki groups on their part have claimed that the move is against the people’s will as Assam Rifles had been doing an effective job in the hill regions and had won the trust of the tribal Kukis.