Guwahati: The Director General (DG) of Assam Rifles, Lt Gen PC Nair, on Wednesday visited the trouble-torn town of Moreh in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, given the current escalated security situation and persistent attacks on the security forces. On his visit to Moreh, Lt Gen Nair was briefed on the present security situation by Sector Commander Brigadier VP Yadav.
Later, the Assam Rifles DG met with leaders and members of the Civil Society organisations (CSOs) including the Hill Tribal Council (HTC), Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Kuki Women Union & Human Rights Moreh (KWU&HR), Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal (KIT), Tamil Sangam Moreh, Gorkha Samaj Samiti Moreh and Manipur Muslim Council, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO), Guwahati, Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, stated in a press release.
The Moreh township, which lies on the Indo-Myanmar border on the Indian side in Manipur, has seen increased violence since the last week of December 2023. The Assam Rifles DG listened patiently to the issues of concern being faced by all the groups, the release stated.
In his interaction with the groups, Lt Gen Nair said, “Moreh is a township that is very different from the other towns in Manipur because of its cosmopolitan nature. People from the Kuki, Meitei, Naga, Tamil, Pangal, Gorkha, Sikh and other communities have been residing here for decades in peace and harmony. The past eight months of strife that was preceded by two years of COVID-19 has greatly affected the lives of the children and youth. Their future is at stake and thus there is no other alternative but to shun violence.”
The Assam Rifles DG further stated that all their grievances will be looked into and studied, but it is for the people of Moreh, particularly the women, to actively act towards restoration of peace. Sounding a note of caution, Lt Gen Nair also asked all the CSOs to tell those moving around with weapons that the Central security forces shall retaliate appropriately if provoked or fired upon, it added.
“It is in everybody’s interest to restore peace and thus everyone’s responsibility to work towards it. The Assam Rifles shall always live up to the sobriquet of ‘Friends of the northeast’ even in the most challenging circumstances,” Lt Gen Nair added.
The Assam Rifles DG’s visit aimed to enhance coordination amongst the CSOs and open channels of communication between the security forces and the civil society groups, the release further stated.