Manipur Congress MP A. Bimol Akoijam on Thursday visited Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal, urging him to work on restoring the legitimacy and strengthening the capacity of Manipur Police.
In a public statement, Mr. Akoijam’s office said that he drew the Governor’s attention to the “unfortunate de-facto subversion” of the Manipur Police during the ongoing ethnic conflict.
Mr. Akojam noted, “Under the constitutional scheme, the State police are the first line institution for maintaining law and order, and that the central armed forces…are, and can only be an aid, to assist the State police.”
During the meeting, which the Raj Bhawan in Manipur also posted on X, Mr. Akoijam also brought up the need for the Governor to have “local advisors to assist him to assuage the feeling of the people in the State”.
The Congress MP further stressed that the process of disarming the State must be carried out “judiciously” in both the hills and the valley, further bringing up the need for budgetary measures to deal with the financial implications of the crisis that has been going on for close to two years now.
While he welcomed the government’s decision to ensure the free movement of people on the highways of the State, he also brought the Governor’s attention to the issue of Laishram Kamalbabu, who went missing from Leimakhong Military Station in the fringe areas of the Imphal Valley, asking for his family’s concerns to be addressed.
Further, the MP asked about the specific steps taken by the administration to deal with the issue of illegal drugs in Manipur, “particularly, poppy cultivation, synthetic drugs, an illicit drug trafficking”.
Mr. Akoijam’s office added that his wife, Olivia Thounaojam, was with him while they met with the Governor, saying that Ms. Thounaojam appealed to the Governor to address the concerns of women and children, particularly those in relief camps.
