Attack on Thangbuh : Abject failure of CRPF

The Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Police attacked Thangbuh, a Kuki village, on the evening of the 8th September 2024 at around 5:20 pm. The village is supposed to be guarded by CRPF. Yet 3 houses got burnt down and 1 innocent mother was shot dead by the Meiteis. Will the CRPF officially apologise for not performing their duty?

One of the survivors, while recounting the said horrific incident, stated that the CRPF personnel were playing football at the Thangbuh football ground till around 5:00 PM and that the CRPF did not even have the basic intelligence that the Meitei attackers were already encircling the village by that time. As he was fleeing the hundreds of bullets fired at them, he saw one of the CRPF duty guards talking on the phone and not even bothering to fire at the militants who were firing at the civilians. He stated that as he fled the scene the Meiteis fired a bomb near him, and as the bomb fell about 10 metres away from him, he was thrown by the force of the bomb for about 5 feet. He could feel the heat of the explosion and the burning smell of the explosive.

It is learnt that the CRPF stationed at Thangbuh was under the command of DIG of CRPF, Mr. Manish Kumar Sachar. In order to hide his inefficiencies and to shield his CRPF men from any criticism of their mishandling of the Thangbuh incident, Mr. Manish Kumar Sachar visited Relief Camps in Kangpokpi, rather than visiting Thangbuh Village and reassuring the villagers, and he gave unwanted statements to the media that the Kuki Zo IDPs "… don't have any demand except getting back to their normal life".

And another big sinister action of the CRPF was to pressurise one of the villagers to make a statement thanking the CRPF for their role in saving the village, in an attempt to deflect any hard hitting questions. The CRPF personnel are thoroughly trained and paid to protect the innocent men and women and their properties, and it makes zero sense to thank CRPF for doing the job for which they are paid to do by the Government of India.

This is one of the many reasons why Kukis prefer the Assam Rifles over the CRPF. It is being learnt that the Meitei attackers were attacking the village with impunity and even had the temerity to come to the village and personally burn some of the houses even when the CRPF were physically stationed in the village. Only after the Meiteis learnt that the Assam Rifles were rushing towards the village, they started fleeing from the scene.

There already is a negative perception about the CRPF - that, it is mostly seen as a force headed by a Meitei DIG Huidrom Premjit; that it is not a professional force, but a force which listens to the Home Minister of Manipur i.e. Biren Meitei; that it is actively colluding with the Meitei Police of Imphal Police HQ (through SSP Nectar) to facilitate the Arambai Tenggol, UNLF-MPA and also the Meitei Police. In such a situation, the decision to station CRPF at buffer zones, replacing the trusted and effective Assam Rifles is very alarming and points to a disregard for the lives and safety of the Kuki Zo people, while also giving one the notion that this may be the very aim of the whole endeavour.