Manipur: COCOMI warns Centre on legitimising Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups

COCOMI warned that it would expose all the proxy games being played by the Centre under the shadow of these SoO agreements

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) in Manipur has warned that if the Government of India kept engaging and legitimizing the Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist groups despite all the available evidence of Suspension of Operation (SoO) ground rule violations, it would defy everything to determine their own future.

The warning from the apex body comes at a time when Manipur is burning for almost three months now due to ethnic clashes.

COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba stated that the government of India’s treatment and handling of “armed Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist groups” violate the fundamental rights of the Indigenous Meetei Citizens of Manipur.

Maintaining that this treatment has given them legitimacy, COCOMI accused the Union government of failing to take “concrete action” despite a number of “Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist groups” breaking the SoO ground rules which is illegal.

The Manipur government has already withdrawn the SoO from three groups – Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) and Kuki National Army (KNA). and Kuki National Front (KNF) (MC) and declared them as terrorists, it added.

Citing a report by the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Athouba disclosed that over 1,25,000 acres of hill areas in Manipur are under poppy cultivation over the last decade. He questioned whether the government of India was deliberately supporting narco-terrorism in the region.

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 did not act accordingly.

Furthermore, Athouba warned that his organisation would expose all the proxy games being played by the Centre under the shadow of these SoO agreements including narco-economy and further accused it of direct engagement and support in Opium cultivation.

He also 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, 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,” he added.

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