IMPHAL, June 7: Civil society organizations representing the Kuki-Zo community in Moreh have submitted a memorandum to Union Home Secretary and Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, voicing serious concerns over recent arrests of community members by central agencies.
The protest comes in response to the arrest of Kamginthang Gangte, a cadre under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, by personnel of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Assam Rifles. The Joint Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) of Moreh Block allege that the arrest lacked transparency and did not follow due process, leading to growing distrust in law enforcement among the local population.
In response, the Joint Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) of Moreh submitted a memorandum to Union Home Secretary and Manipur Governor-in-charge Ajay Kumar Bhalla via Tengnoupal MLA Letpao Haokip. The memorandum criticized the perceived lack of due process in Gangte’s arrest and accused security forces of unfairly targeting Kuki-Zo leaders and SoO members.
The CSOs also called for the immediate reassignment of Lt. Col. Nitin Sharma of the 5 Assam Rifles, alleging his conduct in the region has been “provocative” and detrimental to peace efforts.
As part of their protest, a 24-hour shutdown was enforced in Moreh on June 6, concluding without incident. A parallel agitation organized by the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) began the same day in Tengnoupal District and is scheduled to end by 6:00 p.m. on June 7.
