COCOMI lashes out at COAS

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 3: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur integrity (COCOMI) has urged people to call out Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi for making "false statements" in the media about the Manipur crisis and urged the people to stage protest demonstrations against the Centre's policy and General Dwivedi.
Speaking to reporters at its office at Lamphelpat, COCOMI coordinator Somorendro Thokchom said what the Army's chief said about the Manipur crisis on National media were statements that should have come out of the mouth of a politician.
His statements show that he is apparently unable to see people of Manipur as Indians, Somorendro asserted.
"The General has claimed that the infiltrators who cross into Manipur aren't armed at all. He said the conflict in Myanmar is the reason for the foreigners crossing the border into Manipur. If these are the case, how will the General justify the massive number of weapons in the hands of the Kuki militants. Will the general give an answer to this question?" Somorendro asked.
Further, the General has claimed that violent conflict has been driven and fuelled by "false narratives". This is in stark contrast to the assertion made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the conflict is a result of influx of illegal immigrants, Somorendro said.
When the Union Minister has pointed to the influx of illegal immigrants as the cause of the conflict, he has also frequently changed terms he used for the crisis in Manipur. Amit Shah also termed the crisis as a communal conflict, Somorendro continued.
When the Home Minister has often changed his narrative of the crisis, the narratives coming out from the Security Advisor and DGP aren't consistent also, he said.
On the Army chief, Somorendro continued that the General has claimed that there have been no drone bombings and rocket attacks in Manipur.
Again, this is in stark contrast to the statement the Security Advisor and DGP have made here. The Security Advisor and the DGP have already confirmed drone bombings and rocket attacks, Somorendro said.
The difference in the narratives and stark contrasts in statements they have made is appalling. But, the Security Advisor and the DGP have not yet rejected or reacted to the Army chief's statements, Somorendro added.
Moreover, on reported infiltration of 900 strong trained Kuki militants, the Security Advisor and the DGP, both of them have made contradictory statements.
All these have clearly shown that amid the conflict, the Central Government has used its agents--the Security Advisor and the DGP as a shield, he said.
Somorendro then accused the Government of India of waging a proxy war using its agencies and Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists to break Manipur.
Urging public to stage demonstrations denouncing General Dwivedi tomorrow at 8 pm, Somorendro urged protesters to raise slogans---"Stop India's Proxy War Against Meetei, Stop India's Policy of Obliterating Meetei, Stop Divide and Rule Policy, So Back central security forces, we will defend our motherland, General Dwivedi Down Down."