Manipur govt deploys security to safeguard farmers during cultivation

Imphal, July 8 (IANS) Considering last month’s incidents involving farmers, the Manipur government has provided adequate security to the farmers in the vulnerable areas, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior police official said that adequate security is being provided to ensure the safety of farmers in the fields and prevent incidents involving farmers in the fringe areas. The district administrations of Bishnupur and Jiribam districts have taken proactive steps to ensure uninterrupted and safe agricultural activities in their respective fringe areas by deploying Flying Squads comprising Sub-Deputy Collectors (SDCs).

In the Bishnupur district, the District Magistrate has deputed six SDCs to serve as members of Flying Squads. In Jiribam district, adjoining southern Assam, the District Magistrate has deputed two SDCs. The SDCs’ role includes addressing disputes, clarifying complaints, and coordinating with the police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to safeguard cultivation in vulnerable zones. The Flying Squad members in both districts are required to submit weekly reports on the ground situation, helping authorities monitor developments and respond swiftly to emerging issues.

The initiatives were taken to secure the livelihood of farmers amid ongoing regional tensions and ensure that cultivation continues without disruption, the official said. He said that similar steps would be taken up in other districts.

On June 20, a cultivator from Phubala Awang Maning Leikai was shot in his left arm by an unknown armed miscreant while working in his paddy field at Phubala Maning in Bishnupur district. Singh, who belonged to the Meitei community, was taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) medical college and hospital in Imphal for treatment.

On June 15, tension erupted in Manipur's Imphal East district over a dispute related to the farming of a paddy field and the land ownership, but was defused with the deployment of additional security forces in the area.

A police official had said that a farmer, belonging to the Meitei community from Leitanpokpi areas, went with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak village in Imphal East near a Kuki tribal-inhabited village, but people from other communities objected.

Due to the ethnic violence in Manipur, farming activities have been badly affected in both the Imphal valley and hilly areas for the past more than two years. An official of the Agriculture department said that as the agricultural season is now at its peak, unresolved land access disputes and the lack of effective protection for farmers continue to deepen ethnic divides and fuel unrest in conflict-affected areas of Manipur.

The current Kharif season, also known as the monsoon season, runs from June to October.

--IANS

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