With the delay of the state government to translate the demands and assurance given into action, the All Manipur VDF Employees’ Welfare Association has threatened to launch an indefinite gun-down and pen-down strike from the coming 1st of August.
The Association President, in a press brief this afternoon in Imphal, said the association earlier withdrew their strike on May 17, 2025, following the state government’s assurance to address their demands within two months. The demands include formal legitimate recognition of their service for several years and job security.
Currently, the strength of Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel in Manipur is about 10,500, and the personnel have been engaged and deployed by the state government since its establishment in 2009 to assist security forces in maintaining law and order in the state.
The Association President informed that the demand includes formal implementation of Section 18 of the Police Act, 1861, in their service, which allows for the temporary appointment of additional police personnel. The VDF personnel, originally engaged under this provision, are seeking formal recognition to legitimize their roles within the law enforcement framework.
Secondly, regularization of the VDF personnel who have been serving under harsh conditions for several years to ensure job security, access to service benefits, and parity with other uniformed personnel. The third demand concerns the revision of pay structure and service benefits.
