Withdraw Central Forces If They Can't Stop Violence: Manipur BJP MLA To Home Minister
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Imphal
- Sep 02, 2024
- 453
Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh on Monday urged the Centre to withdraw central forces from the state if their presence does not stop violence.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Singh said that if the central forces fail to do so, then state security personnel should be allowed to take over to try and restore peace in the ethnic strife-hit state.
He further said that despite the presence of around 60,000 central forces in the state, peace has not been restored.
Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
He said the presence of about 60,000 central forces in Manipur was not able to establish peace, so it was better to remove forces which were mostly present as mute spectators.
He admitted that some units of Assam Rifles were recently withdrawn due to lack of cooperation with the state government and the public.
Singh said, "We are happy with the action of withdrawing some units of Assam Rifles, which were not cooperating with the state government and the public. If the presence of these and other central forces cannot stop the violence, then it is better to remove them and let the state forces take over and bring peace."
The BJP MLA proposed that the central government transfer the unified command authority to the state government headed by the chief minister. He criticized the current system as ineffective in preventing violence and argued that it is extremely important to transfer the unified command to the elected government at this time.
He further said, 'The central government has to hand over the unified command to the state government headed by the Chief Minister and allow it to act according to the procedures laid down by law to bring peace and normalcy in the state.'
After violence broke out in the state last year, the Home Ministry appointed former CRPF Director General Kuldeep Singh as the security advisor to the Manipur government. The unified command, which oversees reports from various agencies and forces, coordinates operational requirements in consultation with the Manipur government.
Singh also called on the central government to take strict action against militant and insurgent groups that have violated the basic rules of the Suspension of Operations (SOO) agreement.
He urged Shah to cancel the SOO agreements with these groups, which he claimed were further promoting violence.
Additionally, Singh requested an investigation into the financing and supply of arms and ammunition, which he believes is fuelling the conflict.
Singh urged the central government to initiate political dialogue and engagement between all stakeholders to achieve a lasting and peaceful solution