Manipur's Kuki-Zo apex body alleges central agencies taking action against 'innocent' tribals

Imphal, July 13 (IANS) The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), the apex body of the Kuki-Zo tribals in Manipur, in an open letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, accused central probe agencies and security forces of taking action against "innocent tribals, who are facing the brunt of the violence in the ongoing ethnic conflict".

ITLF Chairman Pagin Haokip and General Secretary Muan Tombing, in their jointly signed letter, also urged the Union Home Minister to expedite their demand for a political solution to the ethnic crisis and formation of a Union Territory with a legislature for the Kuki-Zo community under Article 239A of the Constitution.

Haokip and Tombing alleged that recently 12 Kuki women were beaten, leading to five of them being hospitalised, while five Kuki village volunteers were arrested by central security forces.

They accused the "majority community, which controls all the state’s resources" of carrying out its "ethnic cleansing" campaign, while "central agencies are also arresting people on terror charges for simply trying to protect their community" and said genuine cases can be taken up after a political solution is in place.

It claimed that the militias with automatic weapons are freely operating in the state capital and surrounding valley and the state police and central security forces have become "mere spectators as these militants travel freely in vehicles, brandishing guns and openly calling for the genocide of the Kuki-Zo tribes". It also questioned the lack of "sincere efforts" to recover "around 6,000 weapons and lakhs of (rounds of) ammunition looted from state armouries" or arrest militant leaders, including radical Meitei group "Arambai Tenggol" chief Kourunganba Khuman.

"We will not cooperate with the security forces if they continue to act in a biased manner. Acton cannot be one-sided,” the ITLF stated. Demanding promulgation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Imphal and other valley areas to recover the looted arms and ammunition, the tribal body said that to address the bogey of “illegal immigration,” the government should document all the people who have fled to Manipur due to the crisis in Myanmar, issue ID cards, and house the refugees in designated camps.

"Regarding Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s recent remarks in which he said peace talks have started, ITLF’s leadership and leaders of other tribal Civil Society Organisations are not aware of any talks. The CM should stop spreading rumours to gain public support. If some people have taken part in any meeting, they are doing so in their personal capacity," the ITLF said in the open letter.

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