Three personnel of the central government’s Rapid Action Force, deployed in violence-hit Manipur, were suspended on Saturday for allegedly trying to torch a meat shop in a tribal locality of Imphal on Friday night.
The suspension order came on a day the army chief, General Manoj Pande, arrived in Imphal on a two-day visit to Manipur, which continues to be in turmoil following the May 3 outbreak of violence between the mainly Hindu Meiteis and the tribal and mostly Christian Kukis.
The suspended personnel of the RAF, a specialised wing of the CRPF trained to handle riots and control crowds, are Somdev Arya, Kuldeep Singh and Pradeep Kumar.
They were allegedly caught on CCTV trying to torch the shop around 9.30pm in the New Checkon tribal locality of Imphal East district.
Sources said the trio had “apologised” to the police for their “drunken act” after they were apprehended. They will face an inquiry, will have to attend the morning parade and evening roll call, and cannot leave their base without the commandant’s permission. They will receive subsistence allowance during the period of suspension.
Pande arrived in Imphal just before 5pm.
Pande’s trip to review the situation comes amid accusations that the political leadership in Delhi has turned a blind eye to the Manipur violence, with hardly any prominent leader from the Centre having so far visited the state.
Union home minister Amit Shah — who had been electioneering in Karnataka during the peak of the Manipur violence — is likely to visit the northeastern state on May 29, some 26 days after the clashes erupted. Junior home minister Nityanand Rai has been camping in Manipur since Thursday.
Shah will stay in Manipur till June 1, meeting and talking to representatives of different communities to “restore” peace, officials said.
Military veteran Sushant Singh tweeted: “COAS (Chief of Army Staff) Gen Manoj Pande going to Manipur, today and tomorrow, is a welcome step that contrasts with the virtual abdication of responsibility towards the border state by the top central political leadership. More so because the crisis is essentially political.”
A defence ministry statement said that Pande would “interact with the local formation commanders and obtain a first-hand account of the situation” apart from interacting with the troops.
The Eastern Army Commander, Lt Gen. Rana Pratap Kalita, who had visited Manipur on May 23, is to accompany Pande during his two-day visit.
On Sunday, Pande will meet Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey, chief minister N. Biren Singh and chief security adviser Kudiep Singh to discuss the situation “and future trajectory in order to restore normalcy at the earliest”, the statement said.
The violence has left at least 75 people dead and affected 45,000. At least 1,700 homes and other buildings have been torched or vandalised.
The army and the Assam Rifles have deployed 135 columns in the state but stray violence has been continuing despite the beefed-up security and the curfew.
The suspension of Internet services, which began on May 3, has been extended till May 31, suggesting the overall situation remains worrisome.
The violence started following a solidarity rally called by a tribal student union against the majority Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
