KCA lays down ground report on Thingkangphai Gun-firing incident

The Kuki Chiefs' Association Chandel, on Wednesday detailed about the facts and circumstances leading to the burning down of four Kuki Villages in Thingkangphai area in Chandel district on 6 June, 2023.

KCA said that the Villages’ chiefs of the area were convinced at a meeting on 5 June, 2023 at Sajiktampak by none other than the IGAR (S) that the security forces would dominate Serou-Thingkangphai area so that neither side of the warring groups provokes or attacks each other. Reluctantly, the village chiefs agreed to put trust on the security forces at the meeting.

However, KCA said, within 24 hours, the agreement was breached by the security forces and they themselves abetted and physically joined in the burning down of many villages in the area on 6 June morning.

"Around dawn on the 6 June, a security vehicle (casper bullet proof) came in Thingkangphai area and the personnel started indiscriminate firing including mortar shells on the village without any provocation. The alert village volunteers retaliated with licensed guns," it stated.

However, the village guard volunteers were forced to flee as the security intensified the use of heavy automatic guns and mortars on them. As the resistance was weak, the combined security forces managed to burn down all the villages without much effort, KCA stated in its report.

KCA clarified that no Kuki UG cadre was killed in the gunfight, as claimed because no UG cadres were present in the area.

"One civilian village volunteer was killed due to mortar shelling. Another village defence volunteers sustained injuries and he is now treated at Churachandpur District Hospital. No security personnel were killed or inflicted injuries by the village defence volunteers in the incident as claimed," KCA added.

Later on, it was learnt that some of the personnel inside the AR vehicles turned out to be Manipur police commandos and IRB personnel. About 300 houses were burned down on 6" June from four villages namely — Thingkangphai, L Thinglhangphai, Molbem and Haipijang.