Meitei Armed Groups Resume Attacks on Kuki Inhabited Areas of Jiribam, Kangpokpi; Jiribam Kuki Apex Body Condemns Meitei's Atrocities

A day after several Kuki-Zo houses were set ablaze in Jiribam district, the Meitei militants including Biren’s private militia group of Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Police force resumed indiscriminate attack on the Kuki inhabited locality of Raniveng in Jiribam district using sophisticated weapons including powerful bombs.

The attack occurred in the afternoon at around 4:30 PM which lasted for about two hours. However, the central security forces present at the incident site managed to push back the assailants. The central forces also reportedly relocated the civilians to safer places.

Tension is still high between the majority Meiteis and minority Kukis in the area in the aftermath of the violence perpetrated by the Meitei extremists as the war mongers of N. Biren Singh’s private militia group of Arambai Tenggol set ablaze several houses of Kukis in Uchathol locality of Jiribam yesterday night at around 8:30 PM, thus breaching the peaceful environment of the region since the outbreak of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing against the Kukis since last year.

Apart from the violent attack against the Kukis in Jiribam, a combined force of the radicalised armed groups such as the Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun, proscribed Meitei Militants and communal Meitei Police renewed their aggressive attack towards Phaileng area situated along the buffer zone between Kanggui and Imphal West districts.

The gun-firing attack began at around 6:30 PM on Friday after which the Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers who were guarding the Kuki ancestral land retaliated. The ensuing gunfight lasted for about two hours. After a few minutes of interval, the gun battle resumed until late night. However, there was no report of casualties from both sides until the filing of this report.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Inpi Jiribam, Tamenglong & Noney (KIJTN), an apex body of Kuki Tribes, vehemently condemned the killing of Saratkumar Singh, a Meitei, by unknown miscreants yesterday night on 6th June, 2024 and appealed the concern authority to book the culprits as soon as possible.

Moreover, the Kuki Apex body said, a Kuki-Zo man, Mr. L Thianmuang (40), S/o (L) Luai of Vengnuam Dibong khunou, Jiribam, had been captured from his house at around 6:30 pm yesterday night by suspected Meetei militants with black dresses and his whereabouts remain unknown till now. The Kuki Inpi has appealed for his safe release and also urged the concerned authority to find him at the earliest possible to prevent further aggravation of the situation.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Kuki Inpi strongly condemned the provocative attitude and action of burning Kuki -Zo-Hmar houses by suspected members of Arambai Tenggol and Meetei militants yesterday night at Uchathol Hmar veng, Vengnuam Paite Veng and Songkoveng.

“Blatantly blaming the Kuki-Zo tribals for the murder of Saratkumar Singh, a Meitei, without any slight evidence and thereby attacking Kuki- Zo tribals solely indicates that some people are insistent on bringing upon the Manipur crisis to Jiribam area which had remain at peace till now,” said the Kuki apex body, while expressing its dismay as to how Kuki-Zo houses could be attacked and burnt the whole night inspite of imposing Curfew under CrPC 144.

It appealed the concerned authority to be stringent upon miscreants creating havoc in the area so that further escalation of violence may be prevented.

The Kuki Inpi further appealed to the general public, CSOs and community leaders particularly to those of Kuki-Zo and Meetei communities not to aggravate the situation but to stand for peace.

“The Kuki Inpi Jiribam, Tamenglong &  Noney along  with  District  authorities,  Jiribam  CSOs and  leaders  had  been  toiling  hard  to  maintain peace and tranquillity in the area since the beginning of Manipur ethnic crisis,” it added.

Mention may be made that uneasy calm prevailed in Jiribam between the warring communities in the aftermath of the brutal and cold-blooded murder of a Kuki young boy Mr. Seigoulen Singson @ Bosco S/o. Mr. Seikholet Singson of Phaitol village, Tousem Sub-division, Tamenglong District, by the Meitei armed militants on May 14, 2024. He was kidnapped and murdered on the night of 14th May, whose decomposed and badly tortured body was later retrieved from Jiri River on 17th of May near Molzawl village. The spot in which he went missing was hardly 30 metres from the Police Commando outpost and as such it was pertinent to conclude that the police commandos were directly or indirectly involved in the crime.