Fabricated attempts to malign image: Army on case against Assam Rifles in Manipur

The response comes after Manipur police registered a suo motu case against nine Assam Rilfes accusing them of obstructing a police team from performing duty and allowing "Kuki militants" to flee after three Meitei men were killed.

In what appeared to be a response to the case registered by Manipur police against a unit of Assam Rifles, the Army have said "fabricated attempts are being made to malign image" of the central security force in the conflict-hit state.

"Some inimical elements have made desperate, repeated and failed attempts to question the role, intent and integrity of the Central security forces, especially Assam Rifles, working relentlessly towards saving lives and restoration of peace in Manipur from May 3 onwards," Spear Corps of the Army said in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Assam Rifles is a central paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs but acts under operational control of the Army. 

The response comes after Manipur police registered a suo motu case against 9 Assam Rifles accusing them of obstructing a police team from performing duty in Kwakta in the trouble-torn Bishnupur district on August 5 and thereby allowing "Kuki militants" to flee after three Meitei men were killed. 

The case was registered at Phougakchao police station in Bishnupur district, where sporadic incidents of firing have been going on since the killings on the wee hours of August 5. 

The FIR lodged at Phougakchao police station, officer-in-charge, N Devdas Singh alleged that nine Assam Rilfes had blocked a police team on the Kwakta and Pholjang Road by keeping their Casper vehicles at around 6.3 am on August 5. The police team had gone there based on information that Kuki militants were taking shelter in Ward number 8 of Kwakta, between Kwakta and Pholjang Road. Police suspects that Kuki insurgents were involved in the killings of the three Meitei men. 

Referring to the incident, the Army statement posted on Tuesday night said the Assam Rifles battalion acted strictly in accordance with the mandate of the Unified Headquarters of strict enforcement of buffer zone guidelines towards preventing violence between the two communities.

"Due to complex nature of the situation on the ground in Manipur, occasional differences between various security forces do occur at tactical level. But those differences are addressed through the joint mechanism."

Regarding reports about withdrawal of Assam Rifles from some posts along Moirang-Kangvai Road in Bishnupur, the statement said Assam Rifles was not related to it as an infantry batallion of the Army was deployed there. 

The statement, however, said that the Army and Assam Rifles would continue to remain firm and resolute in "our actions to prevent any attempt that could result in further violence in an already volatile atmosphere." 

Over 150 people have been killed and over 60,000 others have been displaced due to the violence between sections of Meitei and the Kuki community in Manipur since May 3.