A Meitei group that met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday has demanded the withdrawal of Assam Rifles (AR) from Manipur.
The Delhi Meetei Co-ordination Committee (DMCC) said in a memorandum to the Minister that the friendly conduct of the army and AR with Kuki groups has led to mistrust among the Meitei people. AR is a paramilitary force under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) but the operational control is with the army.
The group pointed out a June 26 post titled “demystifying of peaceful blockade” by the army on X and the July 12 letter by Indian Army’s 3rd Corps headquarters to the Editors Guild of India (EGI) to probe the role of media in Manipur regarding the ongoing violence.