The civil society organizations (CSOs) functioning in Moreh hill town including the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, Kuki Students’ Organisation, Hill Tribal Council, Moreh Youth Club and Kuki Chiefs’ Association on Monday vehemently condemned the vandalizing of Moreh Sub-Divisional Hospital and looting of the Hospital equipments by one Haobam Dinesh Meitei and a group of Police Commandos.
In a statement, the Kuki CSOs stated that a former male nurse – Haobam Dinesh Meetei, accompanied by Manipur police commandos barged into Moreh Sub-District Hospital at around 11 AM on November 10, 2023 and looted the properties. They destroyed all important properties including Almirah and other materials in the COVID room. Apart from vandalizing the properties, they also looted the furniture, computers, important documents and all valuable equipments. The police commandos had vandalized the staff quarters, looted all valuable items including computer sets, laptops, metal Almirahs, furniture, utensils, blankets, etc.
Some of the looted items included medicines, materials from delivery room, M.O.T dressing materials, stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, medical scale/weighing machine, dressing drum-2, pharmacy computer -1 set, red blanket-30, bed sheet-30, pillow covers, mosquito nets, R.O water purifier-1, OPD computer-1 set and air cooler.
“With the pressing needs of health care facilities in this border town the civil society organizations had been putting all efforts to reopen the Moreh Sub-District Hospital which remained closed since the outbreak of the state-sponsored ethnic conflict. The dastardly and cowardice act of the so called Manipur police commandos in connivance with Haobam Dinesh Meetei is another attempt to put the lives of many people in danger,” said the Kuki CSOs.
The joint CSOs asked: “Who gave the authority to Mr. Haobam Dinesh Meetei and the Police Commandos to loot properties from the hospital?”
It is also learnt that some Meitei civilians and VDF personnel were masquerading as Police Commandos and were staying inside the police CDO complex near Moreh Police station. The CSOs are jointly investigating and their details will be exposed quickly, the joint statement stated.
The CSOs alleged that the Manipur government using excessive force on the peace loving Kuki-Zo community in Moreh town, ransacking and looting the lone hospital in Tengnoupal district and blocking of essential commodities including medicines at Kakching lamkhai areas were parts of the ethnic cleansing pogrom against the Kuki-Zo community. “Such unlawful activities of the Meiteis clearly show their desperate desire to prevent the people of Moreh town and its surrounding areas from healthcare access,” said the statement adding that following the death of SDPO Ch. Anand Kumar in a gunfight between armed miscreants and Meitei cops, the Manipur police commandos had been harassing innocent civilians.
The Kuki civil bodies also mentioned that on November 1, the commandos in the name of combing and search operation brutally thrashed villagers of Govajang and nearby villagers. After which three females including a minor girl were admitted to the Moreh Primary Health Centre. The women lodged a complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Tengnoupal district. “They shove, beat us using their bare hands and then kicked us. One of them hit my head with his radio-set. They vandalized our household belongings viz. TV, washing machines, refrigerators, Almirahs, doors and windows, took away our cash and mobile phones,” one of the victims lamented. Moreover, they took away the village Chief’s patta/land ownership documents and several vehicles.
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The same police commandos continued the same brutality to the villagers of D Mounnaphai and New Leikot on 3rd of November; Munnom Veng, Zion Veng, Yangoupokpi and P Laijang village on 4th of November. The 7 persons apprehended by the commandos, mainly due to suspicion, were framed with baseless charges; reportedly beaten black and blue multiple times by the so called “state interrogators” and the fate of those seven people is still unknown. Thus, Manipur state has become the most brutal, communal and apartheid regime in the world, the CSOs accused.
On Sunday, November 5, 2023 the extremist police commandos intruded New Moreh locality and rounded up the locals who were returning from Church service. Then commando extremists loaded their guns and pointed to the women when the womenfolk tried to intervene. They fired several live rounds towards two boys who were simply riding a bike. The operation, if any, is supposed to be conducted jointly by the state and centre forces. Ironically, all these lawlessness happened during curfew relaxation hours. On learning about the incident, the Assam Rifles and central security forces rushed to the spot. The extremist state commandos fled the scene when the central forces arrived. Later, the womenfolk submitted a strong complaint to the SP of Tengnoupal District who also came to the spot.
Again on November 6, 2023, the police commandos conducted a combing operation at Wanomjang, T Yangnom and T Lhangnomphai villages. After they left the area, two powerful bombs exploded. Villagers suspected that the bombs might have been planted by the extremist commandos so as to kill and traumatize the villagers. On November 8, the extremist Meitei commandos conducted operation in Yangoupokpi, ST Mollenphai and Hygiene Cafe areas where they repeated the same act.
The Kuki civil society bodies said that such uncivilized behaviours from the state machinery were totally unexpected and uncalled for and have no place in this modern world. The joint CSOs demanded the Moreh police department to do the needful for booking Mr. Haobam Dinesh Meetei and the erring commandos at the earliest.
“The Moreh police should initiate proper action on the FIRs lodged earlier. The state must act responsibly like a state. Otherwise the door is opened, so they can leave the Kuki-Zo people alone,” the statement added.
