Narco terrorism, design of greater Mizoram reasons behind Manipur unrest: Local committee

Silchar, May 29: In an interesting development on the reactions to the ongoing ethnic crisis and tension in Manipur, the Joint Action Committee for Safeguard of Indigenous Manipuri People of Assam has said that the current crisis is not rooted in the opposition to the demands raised for the Scheduled Tribe status or religious differences between Meiteis and the tribals in the neighbouring state, rather Narco terrorism and a deep-rooted conspiracy to form a greater Mizoram and the rampant drugs trade are the real reason behind the unrest.

The office bearers of the joint action committee headed by A Nandababu Singha along with NG Joykumar Singh, president Manipuri Sahitya Parishad Assam interacted with the media and said “any community can raise demands for ST status for its own interest. But this in no way calls for a violence of such a magnitude, what we are witnessing in Manipur today.”

He added, “If anyone has any dissent or objection to the demands raised, there are other ways to workout solutions. In reality, the issue which arose after the rally taken out at Churachandpur district on May 3 has been utilized as a ploy to drift the attention and focus and continue the foul play of drugs trade and a creepy design of forming a greater Mizoram.”

A Nandababu Singha further mentioned that Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has started a war against the drugs trade and actions against the poppy cultivation in the recent times which has been the cause of concern for the foul players. Hence, the turbulence and chaos in the state is being fueled by the vested interest groups from Myanmar and some associations from Mizoram, he alleged.

“We appeal before the Union Government to withdraw Suspension of Operation (SoO) in the state. Also we demand for NRC to be done in Manipur so that the outsiders (the Kukis from Myanmar) could be identified and taken out from the state and peace is restored at the earliest. We also demand that the issue must be investigated by the NIA or the CBI for which we have submitted a plea before the government,” the action committee members asserted.