IMPHAL, February 25: Lanheiba Meitei, Chairman of the United Revolutionary Front clarified today that no one was threathened or forced to take part in the `home coming ceremony` held at the 1st Manipur Rifles` Banquet hall on 13 February. Lanheiba was addressing the media at one of the transit camps in Imphal today, after allegations by two persons yesterday that they were civilians and were forced to take part in the ceremony.
Lanheiba Meetei said that the signing of peace talks with the state and the central government was done with the willingness of the cadres of the URF for returning to mainstream life and added that there was no pressure on him and other cadres of the URF by the Assam rifle or from the state government side. He said, ” We are staying in the Assam Riffles camp for better accommodation and security. Till date, none of the URF cadres have been counter checked by the Assam Riffles authority in the camp as the URF have their own higher authority to look after the cadres.”
He further mentioned that the URF have two types of cadres: one called the red army and another, the white army. He elaborated saying that the cadres who got basic training of guerrilla war fare is part of the red army while the over ground cadres and spies of the URF are known as the white army.
Lanheiba claimed that the two persons who had accused the URF of being forced into taking part in the home coming ceremony by the one of his white army unit cadre Mokho khullen is a false allegation against them and an attempt to bring a bad image to the group.
The two persons, namely Yaikhom Savitri and Ngashem Dilipkumar are working as overground cadres of URF under the Mokho URF unit commander and the two had come to the place along with Mokho a few days before the peace agreement was signed with the State government and the representative of the Government of India on 13 February. The two were not forcibly brought to the place and threatened to be a part of peace talks, he said.
All the cadres who have joined the peace talks have not been given any kind of pressure or false promise for providing money on joining the peace talks from the Government`s side. “All the cadres who joined the peace talk on 13 February was with their full willingness,” he said while expressing gratitude to the Assam Riffles for giving moral support and for giving security to URF cadres.