3 RAF Personnel Accused Of Setting Shop On Fire In Crisis-Hit Manipur, Suspended

The authorities of the RAF placed three personnel under suspension after they were accused of setting ablaze a meat shot in the Imphal valley.

Representational Image | File photo of Rapid Action Force personnel amid ongoing violence in Manipur, in Imphal. ( Image Source :PTI )

Guwahati: The Manipur Police have detained three Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, who were deployed in strife-torn Manipur to control the ethnic clashes, for allegedly setting ablaze a meat shot in the Imphal valley. The trio, accompanied by a local, reportedly came in a car and torched the meat shop in the state capital Imphal. The local residents soon woke up and rushed out of their houses to douse the flames. The matter is being taken very seriously as it happened amid the ethnic clashes between two communities of the state, the Meiteis and the Kuki tribe.

The three suspended RAF personnel have been identified as Somdev Arya, Kuldeep Singh, and Pradeep Kumar.

Copy of suspension order (Source: Pallav Bora)

The authorities of the RAF placed the trio under suspension and have asked them to stay within the battalion’s headquarters in the state until an investigation into the matter is completed.  

During their initial interrogation, the trio reportedly denied any hand in setting the meat shop on fire, intentionally.

According to them, they were lighting mosquito repellents, when the fire accidentally spread to the adjacent shop. However, the Manipur Police is yet to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande's 2-Day Visit To Manipur

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande, arrived on a two-day visit to Manipur on Saturday afternoon.  

During his two-day stay in the state, the COAS is scheduled to visit many places in the state, where he is likely to interact with the local formation commanders and get a first-hand account of the situation on the ground.

The Army Chief will also interact with the troops of the Indian Army, Assam Rifles besides other security forces, who have been controlling the situation in the violence-torn state tirelessly for the past 25 days.

Meanwhile, the Army Chief, accompanied by the Eastern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Rana Pratap Kalita, besides other senior Army officers, met the Governor of Manipur Anusuiya Uikey, at Raj Bhawan on Saturday evening. 

General Pande is also likely to meet Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the Chief Security Advisor of Manipur Kuldiep Singh on Sunday, to discuss and deliberate on the current situation and future trajectory, in order to restore normalcy at the earliest.

The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.