New Delhi: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the apex and conglomerate body of all major civil society organisations based in Manipur, warned that it would defy everything to determine its own future if the Centre kept engaging and legitimizing the Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist groups despite all the available evidence.
The warning from the apex body comes at a time when Manipur was facing one of the biggest ethnic clashes between the native Meiteis and alleged illegal Kuki-Chin immigrants pouring in from the neighbouring countries. The clash has claimed over 150 lives and thousands of houses burnt to ashes in this nearly three-month violence.
The Government of India’s treatment and handling of armed Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist groups violated the basic fundamental rights of the indigenous Meetei citizens of Manipur. This treatment has legitimized their existence, Khuraijam Athouba, spokesperson, COCOMI, said in a media briefing here on Tuesday.
The COCOMI alleged that the Centre was not taking concrete action despite several evidences of violating the Suspension of Operations (SoO) ground rules by these terrorist groups, which is illegal. The Manipur government has already withdrawn the SoO from three groups – KNA, ZRA and KNF (MC) and declared them as terrorists, it added.
Questioning whether the government of India was deliberately supporting narco-terrorism in the region, Athouba disclosed that over 1,25,000 acres of hill areas in Manipur are under poppy cultivation over the last decade, citing a report by the Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
The COCOMI leader said about 650 MT of opium has been produced from the areas where Kukis are dominated in Manipur and nearly Rs 50,000 crore revenue is generated annually.
Stating that the Indian intelligence communities have gathered enough evidence to understand the current politics and violence that have been committed by these Narco-terrorists, the COCOMI said it would use all its might to fight for their survival and for their future generations if the Centre didn’t act accordingly.
Athouba warned that his organisation would expose all the proxy games being played by the Centre under the shadow of these SoO agreements including the narco-economy and further accused it of direct engagement and support in Opium cultivation.
The COCOMI leader lamented that Manipur lately has become the second largest Opium producing centre in the world, with narco-terrorists as primary actors in the business. Unfortunately, he said, all these illegal activities are legitimizing by the government of India, which will have a direct impact on the youth of the nation and national security.
