GUWAHATI: Meitei organization Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on Thursday condemned the “brutal” assault on protesting students by personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and security forces.
A protest rally was taken out “spontaneously” in Manipur capital Imphal on Wednesday against the killing of two Meitei students – Phijam Hemjit (20) and Linthoingambi Hijam (17).
COCOMI “felt” the RAF personnel fired rubber bullets, tear gas shells, smoke bombs, and bullets, in which hundreds of students in uniform were injured with many sustaining critical injuries, as part of the paramilitary force’s policy to “wipe out all the Meiteis”.
“Central forces flexing their muscle on students in uniform and pulling out people from their homes and thrashing them for protesting against the murder of innocent students is a cowardice and shameful act of the world’s largest democratic country India and a violation of human rights,” COCOMI said in a statement.
“It hurts that India still doesn’t take Meiteis as bonafide citizens of the country,” the organization further said.
It alleged that an RAF personnel could be heard in a viral video making a casteist remark. It demanded that Central and Manipur governments take action against the “rogue personnel who used harsh language against the Meiteis”.
ALSO READ | Parents of murdered Meitei Manipuri youths request govt to locate kids' remains for last rites
CRPF/RAF has already dismissed the charge.
“…The voice in the alleged video clip is not of RAF personnel. It appears that the video maker has intentionally recorded casteist remarks in his own voice to tarnish the image of RAF troops,” the rebuttal of CRPF/RAF, posted on X by Manipur police, read.