Assam Rifles files sedition case against Manipur civil society group
Imphal (PTI): The Assam Rifles has registered a sedition and defamation case against the chief of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential civil society group in Manipur's capital.
A highly-placed defence source said a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against COCOMI on July 10, after the outfit gave a call to people "not to surrender weapons."
"We have registered an FIR against COCOMI against Jitendra Ningomba, convener of COCOMI, at Churachandpur police station, under Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), pertaining to sedition; Section 153 A IPC, promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc," a police officer confirmed.
Sources alleged that many women protestors were assaulted by the Army in Moirang of Bishnupur on June 30. The army, however, has denied the allegation.
In a memorandum to the Union home minister on June 4, COCOMI had demanded that the Assam Rifles be replaced with any other central armed police force, adding that local youths were not willing to surrender arms.
After the ethnic strife erupted in the state on May 3, more than 4,000 weapons and lakhs of ammunition were either robbed or taken away from police armouries.
Despite an appeal made by Home Minister Amit Shah when he visited the state from May 29 to June 1, only a little over 1,600 weapons have been recovered by police or surrendered by the public.
COCOMI was originally a part of the peace committee constituted by Governor Anusuiya Uikey in June, but refused to participate till action was taken against "narco terrorists and illegal immigrants from Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Manipur police and central forces have tightened security across the state to prevent any flare-ups in the wake of the viral video that emerged on July 19.
Police said they are making all-out efforts to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hideouts.
Manipur Police have so far arrested six persons in connection with the May 4 parading of two tribal women in Kangpokpi district of the state, officials said.
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Three footballers of Indian origin named in squads for FIFA World Cup 2026
New Delhi: Three footballers of Indian origin have been named in preliminary or final squads for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
According to a report published by Mathrubhumi, Sarpreet Singh was included in the New Zealand national football team squad which was announced on Wednesday.
Born in Auckland to Indian parents, Singh was eligible to represent India through his family roots but chose to play for New Zealand. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior international debut in 2018 and has since become a regular member of the national side.
Singh has made 26 appearances for New Zealand and has scored three goals while providing seven assists.
Julen Lopetegui has included two players of Indian origin: Niall Mason and Tahsin Mohammed, in Qatar’s selections for the tournament.
Mason, a defender whose mother is Indian, previously trained in the youth academies of Real Madrid, Southampton FC and Aston Villa FC. Although he received his first senior call-up earlier this year, the Qatar defender is yet to make his senior international debut.
Tahsin Mohammed, 19, was born to parents from Kerala’s Kannur district. His father Jamshid is from Thalassery, while his mother Shaima belongs to Valapattanam. The winger became the first player of Indian origin to feature in the Qatar Stars League, Qatar’s premier domestic football competition.
Mohammed has made two appearances for the senior Qatar side, including in a World Cup qualifier against Afghanistan in June 2024.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by United States, Mexico and Canada.
