Senapati, October 4: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the authorities following the abduction and alleged torture of a civilian earlier this week, warning it will have no choice but to take security into its own hands if those responsible are not swiftly brought to book.
The ultimatum stems from the 2 October incident involving Mr Kamginlal Chongloi, a resident of L. Phaikot Village and an employee at the Leimakhong Army Headquarters. He was reportedly waylaid at Makhan Liangmei Nagas Village while returning from Sapormeina, before being taken to Khurkhul where he was “tortured and brutally beaten” by valley-based armed militants. CoTU described the attack as a matter of grave concern and further evidence of deteriorating security in peripheral areas.
In a strongly worded statement, the Committee accused the Government of India of failing to maintain the buffer zones that once helped keep violence between hill and valley communities in check. It blamed the withdrawal of the 9 and 22 Assam Rifles battalions from those posts, alleging the move was made “to appease the majoritarian Meitei community in the valley,” and said this had paved the way for fresh attacks.
The group also castigated the Union Home Ministry for hesitating to extend the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) to the 13 remaining police station areas in the valley. According to CoTU, this reluctance has only emboldened armed organisations such as the PLA, UNLF, PREEPAK, KYKL, MPLA and Arambai Tenggol, which it accused of pursuing secessionist agendas and undermining democracy during the ongoing President’s Rule.
“We have been left with no alternative,” the statement read. “Unless those responsible for the 2 October abduction are apprehended within 48 hours of this publication, we will be compelled to defend ourselves across all peripheral areas and resume validation of commuters on NH-2 against enemies both within and outside our land.”
CoTU framed the ultimatum as a last resort after what it described as repeated but unheeded appeals to the central authorities. It demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators, the restoration of buffer-zone security posts, and decisive action against the groups it named.
