CoTU Hails DGP for Swift Action; Renews Call for AFSPA in Valley After AR Killings

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, has lauded the Director General of Police for the swift apprehension of the perpetrators involved in the brutal murder of two jawans of the 33 Assam Rifles on September 19 at Nambol Sabal Leikai, Bishnupur District.

The incident, which occurred in a denotified AFSPA area in the valley, had sparked widespread outrage across the Kuki-Zo community. CoTU expressed concern that valley-based proscribed groups such as the PLA, UNLF, PREPAK, MPLA, and Arambai Tenggol continue to pose grave threats to national security in the absence of special legal protections.

While acknowledging the government’s decisive action in nabbing the PLA cadre behind the killing of NB-Sub Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Kashyap on September 24, CoTU stressed that the tragedy underscored the urgent need to revisit the removal of AFSPA in the valley.

“Without AFSPA, the hands of security forces are tied, and the fight against secessionist groups who reject the Indian Union becomes severely undermined. Reimposing AFSPA across all 19 police stations in the valley is not just a necessity but a duty owed to the men in uniform and the integrity of the nation,” CoTU stated.

Earlier, the Committee had called for a 72-hour economic blockade beginning September 22, demanding accountability and security assurance. The protest was withdrawn on the same day after government officials pledged swift action, a promise that was partly fulfilled with the arrest of the accused militant.

CoTU reiterated that the defence establishment cannot afford to remain vulnerable to repeated assaults in areas where AFSPA has been withdrawn, warning that any further neglect could embolden secessionist elements and destabilize the entire region.