In the strongest terms, the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS), Manipur, has condemned the incident of firing at Phubala in the Bishnupur district of Manipur around 3:15 PM yesterday, in which one Ningthoujam Biren, an elderly farmer working in the paddy field, was hit by a bullet, severely injuring his arm.
In a press statement issued, it said that the state government, which is under President’s Rule, should be held accountable for the incident. Most unfortunately, the recent incident in Pulkhao of Imphal East District of Manipur, in which a farmer has been left in the lurch after he was objected to farming forcibly on his own agricultural land by a group of Chin-Kuki-Zo, where the central security forces on duty in the area remained idle at the spot of the incident. Such instances have now been considered as an attack on farming activities and farmers.
FOCS also said agriculture has been the backbone of the economy, and a direct attack selectively on farmers during the seed-sowing season is a direct confrontation with the Indian economy. It also said it appreciated the government’s efforts to end conflicts by recovering weapons from both sides; however, there has been no sign of recoveries from the Chin-Kuki-Zo inhabited areas that entered the state illegally and orchestrated the current issues, the statement added.
The FOCS also raised serious questions about how the attack came into being in a place where there is an SSB bunker, and the reason for taking no counter-action. If the government fails to take action in time, then people might be compelled to take up strong agitations.
