Centre urged to dismantle militant camps in Manipur

Imphal: Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of Meitei civil society organisations, on Tuesday asked the central government to secure the Indo-Myanmar border and dismantle the infrastructure of armed militant groups.

COCOMI also called for transparent investigations into allegations of collusion between security forces and Kuki armed groups.

The Centre needs to take "decisive action to secure the Indo-Myanmar border and to dismantle the infrastructure of armed militant groups within the state in a stipulated time," COCOMI said in a statement.

A comprehensive strategy is required to address infiltration, illegal poppy cultivation, illegal arms smuggling and trafficking of drugs and also to restore the demographic balance in Manipur, it said.

COCOMI also alleged that the crisis in the northeastern state resulted from "Kuki aggression" and that the India-Myanmar border has been “mismanaged deliberately”.

Both the central and state governments have repeatedly claimed that infiltration from Myanmar is the root cause behind the violence between Imphal valley-based Meiteis and Kukis based in hill districts.

Manipur has remained gripped by recurring bouts of violence since ethnic clashes between the two communities first erupted in May last year. At least 258 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since then.