Around seven battalions of the Assam rifles who are deployed in Southern Manipur have not been able to receive fresh ration for the past 18 days due to a supply blockade by people in Meitei areas, preventing the stocks from reaching the camps.
The Assam rifles are the longest-serving paramilitary force in the state of Manipur. The Meiteis have accused the Assam rifles of sitting in favour of the Kukis in the ongoing conflict in the region.
The Assam rifles have been accused by the Meitei people of allowing and supporting illegal poppy cultivation in the Kuki majority hills and ignoring illegal immigration of Kuki-Chin tribes from Myanmar. They have allegedly been not taking action to protect and save Meitei villages from arson last month during the initial days of the conflict.
An Assam rifles officer reported that the Meiteis accused the paramilitary forces of being partisan with the Kukis and said that they will not allow the truck-carrying stocks to pass through. Most of the ration has rotted in the trucks. The officer informed me that the times when they were able to break through the barricades, required immense coordination at multiple levels.
According to sources, breaking through the barricades usually requires the cooperation of the Manipur police, local MLAs, the CRPF and the Meitei civil society organizations which is not always possible.
An officer informed that there have been instances when the rapid action force RAF of the CRPF was able to use force to break through the human barricades, but a new blockade was found after 5 km. Only so much force can be used.
NH2, the main highway through which the trucks carry supplies to the valley, is being blocked by the Kuki people in Kangpokpi in North Manipur, but the trucks carrying supplies for the Assam rifles have been allowed to pass and move till Kanglatumbi, which is a Kuki majority area. The issue emerges when the trucks reach Sigmai, which is a Meitei area. The women from the community have been forming the blockheads and preventing tracks of the force to move ahead, sources said.
Even if the supplies manage to reach Imphal, taking them ahead to South Manipur, which includes the districts of Tengnopol, Chandel and Churachandpur has been a challenge as the trucks are stopped in Moirang and Bishnupur. The alternate route of Kakching has also been blocked ahead of Parallel.
According to sources, trying to transport supplies via any of these routes is difficult and proves futile as the barricades or not permanently installed and are put together within minutes. An officer in Churachandpur informed that whenever the people of a village see the trucks of the Assam rifles coming, they start banging on electric poles. This is relayed to villages one after the other. Women gather on the road to block it within 15 to 20 minutes, irrespective of which route is taken.
Troubled by the delays. In the last few days, the paramilitary force had to use raptors to bring supplies to its camps. However, an officer stated that since the carrying capacity of raptors is very low, and due to the rains, they cannot fly on most days.
The Assam Rifles and the central security establishment have denied the accusations of taking sides and favouring a certain community in the conflict.
