CoTU warns of action if killers of 2 Kuki men not held within 48 hrs

Churachandpur: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has appealed to authorities concerned to apprehend those involved in the killing of two Kuki civilians within 48 hours failing which their village volunteers will be compelled to take preemptive measures to defend and protect their land and people.

“In the event of any unwanted incident, CoTU or any civil society organisation should not be held responsible for any action taken,” the group warned in a press statement.

Condemning the murders of Thangin Baite of Thawai Kuki village and Thangboimang Khongsai of Shankai village, CoTU alleged that they were killed by armed Tangkhul militants, “purportedly to be of NSCN-IM operating in the area”. It also said one person suffered a bullet injury in the leg and is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The organisation said Baite and Khongsai had gone to repair water channels for their paddy fields and remained untraceable till their bodies were recovered.

CoTU alleged that armed Tangkhul militants have been instigating the unsuspecting Tangkhul villagers to stake claim over every land belonging to Kuki-Zo villagers in Ukhrul district based on their ethnocentric narrative against the Kuki-Zo community.

CoTU said efforts to resolve the issue had failed despite the intervention of the newly appointed deputy chief minister, Dr Losii Dikho, besides civil society organisations from both communities, as the Tangkhul community did not comply with peace initiatives.

Referring to the March 11 incident at Thawai Kuki, CoTU said, “It was not the first such incident but culmination of a fabricated narrative to evict Kuki-Zos from Ukhrul district by unprovoked firing at cultivators in paddy fields to instill a fear psychosis in the area.”

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) strongly condemned the brutal killing of two innocent Kuki-Zo villagers whose bodies were found on Thursday. “Such a merciless and inhumane act against innocent civilians is deeply shocking,” the KZC said. It added that while 18 Tangkhul individuals were reportedly detained in connection with the disappearance of the two men, the chief minister of Manipur and several organisations appeared more concerned about their detention than about the fate of the two missing Kuki-Zo villagers who were later found murdered.

“This clearly reflects the painful reality that Kuki-Zo lives continue to be treated as insignificant in Manipur,” the KZC stated. “Our demand for a Union Territory with legislature is therefore not merely political but essential for the survival and future of the Kuki-Zo people,” KZC said.