The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) ITLF has demanded the central government for immediate imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur and sacking Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh led Government.
ITLF in a release issued on Monday claimed that the Manipur State Government along with the Manipur State forces have been carrying out ethnic cleansing continuously against tribal villages since 3rd May 2023 wherein tribal villages were burnt down to ashes and many innocent tribals murdered. It was learned that the valley underground cadres disguised in Manipur police uniforms were the perpetrators leading to the endless horrific crime against the tribals, ITLF alleged.
The statement stated that while the SoO groups were in their designated camps, a handful of single barrels and the licensed guns used by the poor tribal villagers to defend their villages with just a handful of single barrels guns were confiscated by the para-military forces, thereby leaving them helpless or let to die at the hands of the State-led machinery.
Unsatisfied with the ongoing ethnic killings and cleansing, the security forces at present have even started Combing Operations in tribal villages after allowing looting of arms from 7 MR, 8 IRB, 3 IRB, Manipur Police Training College, and 9 MR, the ITLF alleged.
The ITLF pointed out that the injuries suffered by the village volunteers indicated the use of those sophisticated weapons looted by the radical groups.
Condemning the actions of Manipur State security forces, ITLF has appealed to the Central Government to deploy more neutral security forces in Kuki Zo inhabited villages to protect innocent tribal villagers whose lives are in danger.
In a separate press statement issued today, The Zomi Students’ Federation (ZSF) and Kuki Students’ Organization (KSO) Churachandpur, stated that the recent ethnic cleansing against the Kuki-Zo Group perpetrated by the state sponsored Meitei radicals has reached a point of great destruction wherein the Kuki-Zo were rendered helpless with their country made weapons to protect themselves from Police Commandos, IRBs and all state-sponsored forces who were actively engaged in shielding the radical groups who have come there to attack innocent tribal civilians with their sophisticated weapons.
The two student bodies claimed that video footage and collected evidence showed that Valley Based Insurgents (VBIGs) posing as police commandos and IRBs, used state police vehicles, uniforms, and weapons and then entered tribal villages, whereby they burning tribal houses and killing village volunteers.
The two student bodies alleged that paramilitary forces conducted sweep operations in which they abducted innocent villagers and blatantly shot at them. Such act has resulted in the loss of many lives but that could be avoided if ones want peace and normalcy to return to all vulnerable areas, it added.
The commandos allegedly resorted to 2-inch mortar bombs, rocket launchers, and penetrating munitions in their attacks on tribal villagers. The use of sophisticated weapons such as AK-47, snipers, etc., was a demonstration of involvement of the state government and VBIGs in their attacks on the tribal villages, the statement stated.
The press release added that many village volunteers were shot dead by VBIGs personnel disguised as state police commandos.
Despite several appeals by the Chief Minister of Manipur N. Biren Singh to restore peace, radical Meitei groups such as the Arambai Tenggol, the Meetei Leepun, and other groups have been given free hand in attacking tribals, in cooperation with state forces, VBIGs and they have continued attacks on tribal villages.
It further stated that in some parts of the vulnerable areas, the dubious actions of the central forces that were supposed to maintain law and order were highly questionable.
The student bodies claimed that Meitei radicals and VBIGs were given free rein to attack tribal villages, while village volunteers were prevented from defending their villages.
The licensed guns of the village volunteers were confiscated, and no fewer than 14 village volunteers in the Sugnu area were arrested by the 37 Assam Rifles. The central forces should stop acting in a partisan manner, the student bodies stated and urged unconditionally release of the arrested volunteers with immediate effect.
The ZSF and KSO while strongly condemning the ongoing attacks on the innocent Kuki-Zo civilians by the state armed forces along with the radical Meitei groups supported by Manipur’s Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba and VBIGs, ZSF and KSO have appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to take action against the perpetrators and charge them under the law of the land.
