Imphal: The Committee on Tribal Unity has vehemently condemned the recent act of arson and mayhem carried out on the villages of Gamphal and Haijang in Manipur’s Kamjong District by unidentified armed assailants on Wednesday (April 23).
“The two tumultuous years of unabated atrocities and religious persecution against the Kuki-Zo tribal community by the majoritarian Meitei community cannot be construed as a gateway for other communities in pursuit of their political aspiration,” the tribal body stated.
The Committee on Tribal Unity said, “In fact, it would be in the interest of the minorities as a whole if the perpetrators from the vicinity district could muster the courage to refrain from being influenced by the majoritarian Meitei’s ethnocentric narratives against the minority Kuki-Zo community.”
It further claimed, “Prime Minister of India, who did not even have time for the failed State of Manipur, could find it convenient to appease the international community by aborting his Saudi Arabia trip over a terrorist attack on 28 tourists at Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, Anantnag district of J&K, but played deaf ears towards the cries of the people, who witnessed two tumultuous years of political mayhem under his own henchmen N. Biren Singh.”
The tribal body stated that the ongoing unrest and violence under the then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s regime, claiming it has resulted in approximately 280 deaths, the destruction of over 300 religious buildings, the razing of more than 300 Kuki-Zo settlements, and the reported theft of 6,000 arms and 6 lakh of ammunition from state armories.
Furthermore, the Committee on Tribal Unity also finds it appalling that even during the promulgation of the President’s Rule in Manipur, the Governor could not even muster his constitutional authority to safeguard the villagers of Gamphal and Haijang, who were forced to flee when their villages were set ablaze.
“The Committee would like to reiterate the stand on the separate administration demand, which is the only protection guaranteed under the confines of the Constitution against such nepotism and tyranny,” it added.
ALSO READ: Multiple houses torched in Manipur’s Kamjong district; curfew imposed
Tensions escalated in Kamjong district on Wednesday after unidentified armed assailants torched multiple houses in two remote villages, prompting the district administration to impose an indefinite curfew in the affected areas.
The violence unfolded in the Sahamphung sub-division, where several thatched-roof houses in Gampal and Haiyang villages were set ablaze while most residents were away working in their agricultural fields.
