CoTU urges UHM to halt issuance of additional arms and ammo to radicalized Meitei police

The Kuki-Zo top tribal body of Kangpokpi chapter, the Committee on Tribal Unity, or the CoTU, Sadar Hills apprised the Union Home Minister of the prevailing situation of Manipur urging him to intervene to halt the issuance of additional arms and ammunition to the radicalized Meitei police personnel.

CoTU's seeking the Union Home Minister's intervention came after an MPS officer, in-charge of a Special Commando Unit wrote to the Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) requesting the requisition of additional ammunition given the prevailing law and order.

Manipur police officer, Th. Krishnatombi Singh, MPS, who is also in-charge of a Special Commando Unit, in his letter to the ADGP (L/O), Manipur on December 30 listed the following ammunition for requisition.

1). 10,000 nos. of 7.62 LMG live rounds;
2). 20,000 nos. of INSAS live rounds;
3). 17,000 nos. of AK-47 live rounds.
4). 150 nos. of 51 Mortar live rounds (H.E. bomb), and
5). 3000 nos. of 303 live rounds.

Perturbed by the MPS officer's letter for requisition of additional ammunition, and considering the current situation and the alleged State police commandos' continuous atrocities on the innocent Kuki-Zo civilians, the Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills appeals to the ADGP (L/O) not to issue the requested ammunition since it poses a serious threat to the existence of the minority Kuki-Zo community.

CoTU also pointed out that it is an open secret that the Meitei police commandos have been at the forefront of attacks on Kuki-Zo villages and areas from the beginning of the current state-sponsored ethnic cleansing pogrom.

"If these ammunitions are issued, it will surely be shared with the radicalized Meitei militias such as the Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun, and the valley-based insurgent groups, to attack and kill fellow citizens", it added.

It further recalled that the majority of the 6000 advanced weapons and lakhs of rounds of ammunition seized from the armories of various police stations and Indian Reserve Battalions by radicalized Meitei militias in collusion with Meitei police are still at large.

It continued that unfortunately, the state administration has done little to retrieve the looted guns and ammunition, instead relying on the SP Railways, who is a Meitei, to obtain more ammunition.

"This is devoid of any logic unless it is meant to be used to further decimate the Kuki-Zo community", CoTU stated.

CoTU went on to say that there are already several videos and images confirming that Meitei militants are freely moving throughout the Imphal valley, armed with modern weaponry and clothed in police uniforms.

"To date, these armed Meitei militias have killed 156 Kuki-Zo in collusion with the Police Commandos, and providing more weapons would only serve to exacerbate the ongoing state-sponsored ethnic pogrom", it stated.

Drawing the attention of the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah for his immediate intervention, the CoTU urged the Union Home Minister to halt the process of issuing additional arms and ammunition to the radicalized Meitei police personnel and militias since it is also a threat to the security of the country.