Imphal: Tension prevails in fringe areas of Manipur after armed miscreants Monday evening opened fire in peripheral villages in the valley, following the killing of 10 “armed Kuki militants” by the Central Reserve Police Force and state police forces in the Jiribam district.
Firing incidents, sources said, were reported at 7.15 pm from Koutruk, Kadangband, Kangchup Chingkhong, and Phayeng areas under Lamsang police station in Imphal West. The central and state forces deployed at Kangchup Chingkhong are said to have retaliated.
At 8.20 pm, armed miscreants reportedly burned down the newly constructed houses at Porompat Ching in Phayeng under the Lamsang police station. The shelters were meant to house the police and security forces. The attacks left two Meitei village volunteers from Kangmong Maisnam Leikai injured, the sources said.
According to a resident of Kangchup Chingkhong village, “armed militants” in four-wheelers “fired indiscriminately toward residential areas”, spreading panic among villagers. In addition to the gunfire, several houses were set ablaze, the resident said.
Jiribam District Magistrate Krishna Kumar, responding to the prevailing situation, imposed a curfew in the district under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita’s Section 163, effectively prohibiting the assembly of five or more individuals and restricting movement outside residences. The orders will remain imposed until further notice. Under the regulations, carrying weapons, including firearms and sharp objects, is prohibited.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a Kuki-Zo conglomerate, imposed a 24-hour ‘total shutdown’ in areas within Sadar Hills Kangpokpi from 11 November midnight as a mark of respect for the ten slain community members and to show “resentment against the Central security forces”, a statement released by CoTU said.
In a meeting held at the Kangpokpi district headquarters Monday, the COTU raised concerns with the state Director General of Police (DGP) over ongoing security issues and encroachment threats in the Kuki regions. The committee submitted a memorandum, outlining areas of concern and urging immediate intervention.
Among other issues was the “planned settlement of insurgent groups” in the Kuki-dominated areas in the Sadar Hills region, including Kangchup Patjang, Saibol, and Vohkongjang, among other villages.
Reiterating its stance, the CoTU stated that “the Kuki-Zo community is not against the Central Security Forces, the CRPF but, with this recent incident at Jakuradhor Karong in Borobekra Sub-Division of Jiribam, the Kuki-Zo community needs to introspect and reconsider our notion on their neutrality”.
The ITLF, a conglomerate of recognised tribes in Churachandpur, also echoed the same views. In a press statement Tuesday, the ITLF stated that “the state has never witnessed so many casualties in one incident of cross-firing”.
“The hidden motive behind the decision to replace Assam Rifles and replace them with CRPF is now coming to light. The entire Kuki-Zo community should reconsider labelling the CRPF as a ‘neutral’ central force,” it stated.
Moreover, two major student organisations—the Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (Southern Tangkhul Students’ Union) and the Tangkhul Naga Valley Students’ Association (TNVSA)—have declared a total shutdown along the Ukhrul-Imphal road in response to an incident at Yaingangpokpi where two Tangkhul individuals were injured in firing.
In a joint press statement, the organisations condemned the violence and called for justice. Starting Monday midnight, the shutdown would go on until the demands for justice finally are met, according to their statement.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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Sometimes it is not fair to blame one individual for such a complex problem, but would it not help if the CM stepped down.
The Kuki-Zo-Hmar people are Myanmarese. They have illegally settled on Indian land. They must be deported back to Myanmar.
Manipur belongs to Manipuris.