Unending Terror: Kuki Villages of Mongbung, Sejang Still Endure Devastating Bombardment from State-sanctioned Terrorism

Under the shroud of darkness and amid the ongoing state-sponsored persecution of the minority Kuki community, terror once again descended upon Mongbung and Sejang Kuki Villages in Jiribam District on Saturday night.

The uneasy calm of the night was shattered by deafening explosions of mortar bombs, unleashed by combined forces of the Meitei Police Commandos, UNLF/MPA, Arambai Tenggol, and other proscribed outfits. The indiscriminate attack left a trail of destruction, fear, and despair, terrorizing the lives of innocent Kuki civilians.

The Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers, who are guarding Mongbung and Sejang Kuki villages from the Meiteis’ onslaught, retrieved bomb fragments and shrapnel from the devastating attack, providing irrefutable proof that state-issued ammunition was used to target and annihilate Kuki villagers.

Such heinous acts of bombardment, accompanied by intermittent gunfire towards Kuki ancestral lands, have raised serious questions, particularly regarding the accountability of State Security Advisor Mr. Kuldeep Singh.

Will Kuldeep Singh turn a blind eye to the continued assault on the minority community, given that the bombers are sanctioned and patronized by the State Government? Will he justify the perpetrators and deny the concrete evidence, as has been the case over the past one and a half years?

To the BJP-aligned media houses, or Godi media: Will you justify the bombings on the Kukis because the assailants are from the majority community and the victims are from a minority community? Is bombing innocent Kuki civilians legally and morally justifiable? Why are the national media houses still silent on the audiotapes of N. Biren Singh, which provide evidence of his sanctioning of bombings in Kuki areas?

The evidence of bombardment on Kuki areas unequivocally points to state complicity in violence against minorities. Such state-sanctioned terrorism, systemic impunity, and biased media silence must be condemned by all.

To deliver justice, the Kukis’ demand for separate administration must be granted sooner rather than later.