Imphal, May 25 : The controversy over the Manipur government’s efforts to arm villagers to fight back against militants has seen several twists and turns. The state government yesterday took a Cabinet decision not to use the newly recruited Special Police Officers (SPOs) in counter-insurgency operations but only to protect themselves and their own villages.
The government had been put on the back foot after residents of Heirok, who had originally asked the government for arms to protect themselves, raised their voices against Manipur police chief Mr Y Joykumars’s stated intention of using the force for actively fighting insurgents. Representatives of the Joint Action Committee formed by the villagers said they wanted arms to protect themselves, and not to join the police and other security forces in combating the insurgents.
But even as the state government scrambled to undo the damage of the DGP’s statement, central security agencies have again muddied the waters in the village.
Several residents of Heirok were reportedly detained by security forces yesterday and virtually forced to give interviews to a media team from outside the state.
SNS
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