NPP MP Wants Surgical Strikes To Counter Cross-Border Militancy, Illegal Migration Into Manipur

 

National People's Party (NPP) leader M Rameshwar Singh on Friday said it is very clear from Union Home Minister Amit Shah's Lok Sabha address that there are "illegal immigrants and Kuki militants coming from across the border" in Manipur. Claiming involvement of "external aggression", the parliamentarian said that the national security was "compromised" and demanded an "impactful action" in the form of a "surgical strike" to ensure that the strife is resolved completely.

"I had requested Honorable Union Minister that the narrative that some agencies are trying to build saying that all SoO Kuki militants are in camps now and the weapons are all with them so the doubts coming to the people of Manipur is from where the fire is coming. Who is firing from the other side?" M Rameshwar Singh said.

In 2008, the SoO (Suspension of Operations) agreement was signed as a ceasefire agreement between the Indian government and various Kuki militant groups operating in the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland.

"This is very clear from statements made by Hon. Union Home Minister Amit Shah that there are some illegal immigrants and illegal Kuki militants coming from across the border. I have always been saying that there is external aggression involved in this where national security is also compromised. It is important for us not only to save the state Manipur but also to save the entire nation that some impactful, effective action, some surgical strike should be done so that problem is solved for once and all," he remarked.

Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah blamed the unrest in Myanmar for the ethnic conflict in Manipur while he pleaded with both sides in the northeastern state to resolve their dispute through dialogue

During the debate on the no-confidence motion, he said that the influx from Myanmar created “a feeling of insecurity” among the Meiteis. 

After the Myanmar coup in 2021, the junta has been fighting pro-democracy forces. The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region, Shah said, as per PTI.

He further stated that the unrest in the Manipur valley began as rumours began to circulate that the refugee settlements have been declared as villages.

The Manipur High Court order in February to fast-track the process for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes "added fuel to the fire", Shah added.

The Chins in northern Myanmar and Kukis in Manipur have the same ethnic lineage, as per a report by news agency Reuters.

The Union Home Minister informed that the Centre has established a peace committee in an effort to restore normalcy.  

"Over 36,000 security personnel have been stationed between Kukis and Meiteis as a buffer zone. The anger has not subsided yet, but violence has reduced. A unified command has been created to coordinate between BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, and Manipur police deployed there. Six cases of conspiracy have been handed over to the CBI," Shah said, as per PTI.