Assam Rifles unbiased, rescued people of both communities in Manipur: DG Lt Gen P C Nair

Shillong: The Assam Rifles is unbiased and has rescued people of both communities in Manipur, claimed its Director General Lt Gen P C Nair. Nair said the country's oldest paramilitary force is unbiased and has destroyed bunkers, seized weapons and rescued innocent people from both sides in Manipur.

"We are not biased and I want to make that absolutely clear. If we see bunkers we destroy them. The weapons we recovered from both the communities are equal, the number of people that we have helped from from both the communities is also equal,” the Assam Riffles chief told PTI on Friday.

His statement came in the wake of allegations that the Assam Riffles is biased towards a certain community in the ongoing violence in Manipur.

"Why should we be partial to one community? We have soldiers from both the communities in our force and we have had no issue of any kind of rivalry amongst them. That truly speaks of the leadership that is there both in the Army and the Assam Riffles.

"These officers are giving all that they could to ensure to bring about peace," he said.

Manipur is heading towards better times and the worst is behind it, claimed Lt Gen P C Nair.

He said sporadic killings and shootings are happening in Manipur but the northeastern state is heading towards better times.

"If I have to sum up, the worst is behind us. The sporadic incidents of shootings and killings will gradually subside and I think we are heading towards better times," the Assam Rifles DG told PTI in an interview.

He reiterated the need for local people of Manipur to get together and start talking to each other to bring back peace and normalcy in the violence-hit state.

Asked about how long it would take for that to happen, Lt Gen Nair said, "That is a question no one will be able to answer. It all depends on the locals (of Manipur)."

"If I have to put it very frankly, it is not the security forces who can sort the problem out as is thought to be. We are here only to curtail the level of violence. We are here to stop the firings that take place," he said.

Stating that a lot is happening backstage, Lt Gen Nair said, "We (Assam Rifles) and the Indian Army is playing a big role - we are talking to civil society organisations, the youths and various stakeholders to get them to the talks table and get this issue sorted out."