Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Govt plans Heirok-style recruits in valley districts Imphal, Jan 1: The 301 special police officers (SPOs) recruited by the Okram Ibobi Singh government to protect Heirok in Manipur’s Thoubal district in June last year are yet to be assigned any duties. However, while the SPOs await their call, the state government is planning to recruit more such officers from different parts of the four valley districts. Sources said the Union home ministry had agreed to a proposal by the government to recruit 1,500 SPOs. This includes the 301 officers already trained to protect Heirok. The Heirok SPOs completed six months of training at the Manipur Police Training School on December 30 and were taken back to their village the same day. The SPOs, who were given a two-day holiday, will report back tomorrow morning at the India Reserve Battalion post at Heirok. Sources said the police could use the officers to patrol areas in and around Heirok. A source said unlike the Heirok SPOs, the officers who wo...

Heirok to study JK guidelines for SPOs: Imphal, May 18: Sticking to its earlier proposition that it would oppose utilisation/engagement of SPO personnel in counter insurgency operations, the JAC formed in the aftermath of the Heirok firing incident has asserted it would closely study contents of SPO guidelines prior to accepting actual setting up of SPOs in Heirok. Despite the renewed assertion of the JAC, the Government had set into motion recruitment exercises for enrolling 300 SPOs in Heirok village of Thoubal district. Plans are also afoot to recruit 200 SPOs for deployment/stationing at Lilong Chajing. It may be recalled that people of Heirok and Lilong Chajing had demanded weapons from the Government to protect themselves from unwanted elements following incidents of gun firing some months back that claimed the lives of four persons apart from injuring a teenage girl. "The SPOs will only protect Heirok and its surrounding villages from rebels' threat. We will, however st...

Cabinet agrees to provide guns to Heirok, Chajing: Imphal, May 2: The State Cabinet during a meeting held on Friday with the Chief Minister in the chair has decided to accede to the demands of the Heirok and Chajing people to provide them guns after creating posts of Special Police Officers (SPOs). The demands to issue guns to the people of Heirok and Chajing were raised following the slaying of three people and injuring another by opening fire by PREPAK cadres at a Thabal Chongba venue at Heirok and killing of a 53 year old man by KCP (MTF) at Chajing Konjeng Leikai. A senior Cabinet Minister of the SPF Government informed The Sangai Express that provisions of guns to the people will be provided after creating the posts of SPOs as was done in Jammu and Kashmir. After deliberating on the matter for about three hours, the State Cabinet adopted a concrete decision in this regard and resolved to activate SPOs from June 12 . For Heirok, 300 SPOs will be recruited while Chajing will have 20...