Manipur MLAs ask Centre to withdraw SoO with armed insurgents;

 MHA to take final call Security advisor to Manipur govt says Centre will decide after consultations 

N. Biren Singh | Salil Bera

Namrata Biji Ahuja , The Week, January 22, 2024 : After Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh criticised central forces for becoming “mute spectators’’ to continued ethnic violence, a fresh challenge has emerged for the Union home ministry with ruling MLAs demanding the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements with the armed militant groups be revoked till they are completely disarmed and sent to their camps. The Centre has entered SoO agreement with militant groups in Manipur such as the Kuki National Organisation and the United People’s Front, a conglomerate of nearly 24 armed rebel groups, which expires on February 29.

More than 30 MLAs met on Sunday and adopted a resolution saying the SoO with the armed militant groups is the main cause of the continuing “cycle of violence’’ and that the agreement should not be extended by the home ministry after February 29. It said the SoO agreement with the armed militant groups is giving them immunity from stern action by the central forces deployed in the state. “Thus, Suspension of Operation with militants who indulge in the killing of innocent civilians and violation of ground rules should be abrogated immediately,” it said.

The MLAs have demanded “complete disarmament of all illegal arms in the possession of miscreants and unauthorised persons in the entire state’’ at the earliest by the central and state forces. The legislators have also expressed concern over attacks, using sophisticated weaponry such as Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers, on citizens and security forces alike by alleged Myanmar-based armed militants, saying those must be stopped at all costs.

While there are intelligence reports to indicate the involvement of such “foreign’’ groups, there is still no concrete evidence of their involvement in the violence in Manipur, Kuldiep Singh, former CRPF chief and security advisor to the Manipur government told THE WEEK. He further said the Central government will take a decision on the SoO with the militant groups after consulting with various security and intelligence agencies.

Meanwhile, the state MLAs continue to express their dissatisfaction with the central forces saying they have not been responsive and remained “mute spectators when unarmed civilians (particularly farmers) are being indiscriminately fired upon frequently.”

The blame game continues as frustration is spilling onto the central forces with both Meitis and Kuki groups unable to arrive at a peaceful resolution. The central forces have been deployed in the state to assist the state government in controlling the law and order situation. “These forces and their leadership (chain of command) need to give strict instructions and be held accountable and replaced with forces that have the ability to act by returning suppressive fire when they observe that unarmed civilians are being fired upon, to enable civilians to get to cover and safety,” says the resolution. These issues are particularly being flagged in places such as Moreh, Bishnupur, Imphal West, Kakching among others.