IMPHAL, June 21: In the wake of a recent gun attack on a farmer in Bishnupur district, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on Saturday demanded the immediate declaration of a ‘farmer safety zone’ in the periphery areas of the Imphal Valley, along with shoot-at-sight orders against unauthorised armed intruders.
The demand follows the shooting of Ningthoujam Biren Singh, a farmer who was shot from point-blank range just 30 meters from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) security line. COCOMI strongly condemned the incident, terming it a grave breach of security. “This act of terror occurred after an outrageous breach through three tiers of security — BSF, Army, and SSB — raising serious concerns about the intent, efficiency, and reliability of the current security deployment in the valley,” the organisation said in a statement.
COCOMI representatives met with the Superintendent of Police, Bishnupur, and later held a strategic security dialogue with senior police officials including ADGP L. Kailun and IGP K. Kabib at the police headquarters.
Expressing solidarity with local farmer groups and the victim’s family, COCOMI reiterated its demand for the entire agrarian belt along the foothills and canal zones to be designated as ‘no arms zones’, where any unauthorised individual carrying assault rifles or deadly weapons must face immediate shoot-at-sight orders.
The organisation also called for a guarantee of “uninterrupted cultivation access”, allowing Meitei farmers to work in paddy fields up to the foothill areas without fear or obstruction. It demanded the deployment of two to three additional companies of security forces for regular mobile patrolling, in addition to maintaining all existing static posts, to ensure 24×7 surveillance in these sensitive zones.
The shooting occurred on Thursday afternoon in Phubala, Bishnupur district, when armed men allegedly fired at farmers from nearby hills. Witnesses said the shots came from hilly areas bordering Churachandpur district, which surrounds the farmlands of Phubala.
The incident triggered widespread protest in the region. Locals observed a shutdown in Phubala and blocked the movement of security forces in some areas of the district.
