Manipur Congress MP alleges he was stopped from visiting area in his constituency

Hindustan Times

a day ago

IMPHAL: Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur, has said that he was stopped from visiting Phougakchou-Ikhai Makha Leikai Keithel in Bishnupur district, which falls within his parliamentary constituency, on Monday. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur.
The Congress MP said it happened despite the heavy presence of security forces, including the Indian Army, and alleged that there was an 'imaginary and unconstitutional buffer zone', which violates Article 19 of the Indian Constitution and fosters communal division, in the strife-torn state.
Speaking to the media at his Imphal residence on Tuesday, Bimol sai dthat preventing an Indian citizen, let alone an elected Member of Parliament from freely moving within his own constituency, was a blatant breach of constitutional rights. He accused security forces of implicitly supporting the buffer zone concept, which, he claimed, was fueling division between communities in Manipur.
'The enforcement of an imaginary and unconstitutional buffer zone reflects a communally driven agenda that is deepening divisions in Manipur,' Bimol said, adding that the government had already clarified that no such zone officially exists. Despite this, he claimed, security forces continue to act as if one does.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the Congress MP wrote: 'I, an elected Member of Lok Sabha, was stopped from visiting Phougakchou-Ikhai Makha Leikai Keithel in Bishnupur District, which falls within my parliamentary constituency (Inner Manipur) today, despite the heavy presence of security forces, including the Indian Army. Tellingly, civilians belonging to other communities (such as Pangals) are allowed to travel through the same place right in front of me. It speaks of the clandestine ways through which the state has been nurturing a communally founded division of Manipur and enforcing an unconstitutional buffer zone.'
Bimol further clarified that his attempt to visit the market area was not provocative and accused the security forces, specifically the 6 Assam Rifles, who erected the barricade in May 2023, of contributing to ongoing tensions. The so-called buffer zone was initially set up to control mobs but has since become a symbol of communal segregation, he said.
'Manipur is not divided by communal ideology,' he said.
The MP further said, 'For the past few months, farmers have been facing attacks from armed militants intended to instill fear and discourage agricultural activity.'
He cited two recent incidents, one in Imphal East on June 16 and another in Bishnupur on June 20.
In the Imphal East incident, he alleged that members of the Kuki community prevented Meitei farmers from working in their fields, claiming the land was disputed and did not belong to the Meiteis. In the second case, a farmer sustained bullet injuries after allegedly being attacked by armed Kuki militants at Phubala, located on the volatile border between Meitei-majority Bishnupur and Kuki-dominated Churachandpur.