Outfit vows to continue struggle

Imphal, Sept 25 : The president of the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), Irengbam Chaoren, today reaffirmed its stand of continuing the “freedom struggle” saying “freedom is our birthright.”

In his message to the people of Manipur on the occasion of 36th raising day of the RPF’s military wing — People’s Liberation Army (PLA) which falls tomorrow — Chaoren said: “Freedom is our birthright.”

The PLA is one of the major militant groups of Manipur fighting to regain Manipur’s “freedom”.

Chaoren said India “forcibly annexed” Manipur in 1949 after the British left. He opposed India’s policy of constructing mega dams like the one at Tipaimukh in Manipur, saying the projects were aimed at extracting maximum profit and not for welfare of the people of the state.

The RPF also strongly condemned the recent deployment of India Reserve Battalion and police commandos in Ukhrul terming it as “militarisation” of the district.

“It is a fact that people of both the hills and the valley have been living under the shadow of heavy militarisation — a process which started since the day Manipur was annexed to the Indian Union,” Chaoren said.

In view of tomorrow’s PLA foundation day, police today launched search operations in two places in and around Imphal city to ferret out cadres of the group.

Official sources said the police combed Thangmeiband and Yumnam Leikai areas in the city in the early hours today.

The police called out all the residents and carried out a verification process. They took 10 persons for further verification to Imphal West police station. All of them were later released.