Manipur: Top tribal body questions Biren Singh over response to Kuki police officer's death

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has questioned Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh over the killing of a Kuki police officer, Onkhomang Haokip, while comparing the government's response to the death of a Meitei police officer, the report of whose death surfaced earlier today. 

The ITLF said that on September 13 police officer Onkhomang Haokip was killed by armed miscreants. The ITLF said here that the Chief Minister's office remained mute and no immediate action or investigation was undertaken. 

Here, the ITLF drew comparisons with the death of SDPO Chingtham Anand, who was killed by gunmen in Moreh. Here the top tribal body compared it to the government's response to Anand's death, calling it swift. 

The ITLF also talked of the government announcing an ex-gratia for the kin of the victims, with the CM Biren Singh calling an emergency cabinet meeting and ordering the Manipur Police Commandos to launch a joint operation in Moreh Town and its adjacent areas to apprehend the culprits.

The ITLF said that the visibly glaring difference of response in both the cases shows the "selective injustice" in the state. The top tribal body further said that Chief Minister N Biren Singh's response to this incident "hints at an intention to exploit the circumstances, intensifying the perpetual hardships faced by the Kuki-Zo tribal community."