The Kuki Students' Organizations Sadar Hills strongly urged the media fraternity in the state and the country to be restrained from publishing and telecasting false and misleading reports over Manipur's violence as it could escalate the already wide-scale violence in the state.
The student body conveyed its deep disappointment that whenever any villages belonging to the Kuki communities are attacked and burnt down, the next day, the media will reflect it as if the Kuki militants attacked the village volunteers of the Meitei, which is very unethical and never expected from the media fraternity.
A team of KSO Sadar Hills visited a bullet-injured person from the violent-hit Khamenlok area who is admitted to a hospital in Kangpokpi today.
The injured person was identified as Thangboi Haokip (28), son of Jamlet Haokip. He sustained a bullet injury in his upper left chest and exit on the back.
According to the doctors, he is out of danger.
The injured person said that a huge number of people suspected to be the Meitei terrorists wearing black clothes attacked Aigejang village at around 5:00 pm on June 13 with sophisticated weapons, bombs, and grenades.
He continued that around 30 village volunteers were defending the village with licensed guns with little ammunition that we could not match them and ran away.
"While trying to run away from the attack of heavy sophisticated weapons, I was hit by a bullet in my upper left chest and fell on the ground", he added.
He then said that I was carried by my colleagues to a safer place at Sijang Mongjang, and then to Saikul, and finally, I was shifted to Kangpokpi this morning.
Narrating the incidents, the injured Thangboi recalled that Aigejang village was attacked the next day when H. Khopibung village was attacked and burnt down.
It was around 5:00 pm when thousands of people with sophisticated weapons attacked the village. We were defending with our licensed Kartos till late at night, but we could no longer stand, and I was hit with a sophisticated gun's bullet at around 11:30 pm while trying to escape it, he added.
"It is them who attacked us with sophisticated weapons, not us", said the injured person while adding that we don't see any Kuki militants attacking them.
The KSO Sadar Hills General Secretary, Thangtinlen Haokip, who was accompanied by his President, and subordinate colleague said that the Khamenlok area in Saikul Assembly Constituency has been attacked since June 12 morning and it continues till June 14 morning by the dominant valley people with sophisticated weapons assisted by the state forces.
He continued that during the attack, H. Khopibung, Khamenlok, Chullouphai, and Aigejang villages were burnt down including hundreds of houses and Churches while injuring several village volunteers.
He also said that several people from the attacking community are reportedly dead and a few others are also injured.
However, the state media as usual reflected in their headlines as, "Kuki militants attack Meitei villagers" the next morning, said Haokip while wondering as to why the state media are so unethical in their reporting.
He then urged the apex body of the media fraternity of the state, the Indian Journalist Union, and the Press Council of India to look into the matter as such a misleading and unverified report could escalate the already volatile violence situation in the state.
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
