Mizzima
The Kuki Inpi, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, released a statement on 16 May expressing deep concern about what they claim is the Manipur government’s attempt to infiltrate cadres of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a Myanmar-based Meitei militant group, in order to take advantage of the ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur.
The statement was released on the Kuki Inpi Facebook page.
The statement said the PLA militants, notorious for their ruthless attacks that have claimed the lives of hundreds of Indian armed forces personnel, besides engaging in molestation and rape of women, extortion and forceful collection of taxes from civilians, and grave violation of Human Rights pose an imminent threat to regional security and stability.
It is also crucial to recall the ambush and attack on November 13, 2021, resulting in the deaths of Colonel Viplav Tripathi, his wife, their nine-year-old son, and four paramilitary force jawans, and the ruthless attack on 6th Dogra Regiment that had claimed the lives of 20 security force personnel in Chandel district in 2015 among others.
In the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur, Meitei militants, working in tandem with PLA and UNLF have engaged in brutal killings, mutilation; including beheading and burning of people.
Kuki Inpi claim this ill- advised maneuver to infiltrate PLA cadres into Manipur will exacerbate the current law and order situation in the region and endanger the lives of innocent civilians while also posing a serious threat to the safety and security of the Kuki people amidst the ongoing ethnic persecution by the Manipur state government against the Kukis.
“The Manipur government’s misguided priorities, favoring the interests of violent extremists is utter disrespect for the lives of soldiers and policemen lost to bring normalcy in the region. The reckless bid to infiltrate PLA cadres into Manipur is therefore unacceptable and must be vehemently condemned and appropriately addressed by the central government,” the statement says.
“Subsequently, the Kuki Inpi calls on the central government to immediately intervene and end this ill- conceived plan of the N. Biren Singh led Manipur state government and incompetent security officials in the Manipur government whose principal aim is to carry out further aggressions against the Kuki people.”
Similarly, it is ultimate for the central government to bring about a permanent political solution to safeguard our people from incessant exploitation and persecution as equal citizens of the country and thereby also uphold the integrity of our nation, the statement says.
The Kuki Inpi is the traditional form of government of the tribal Kuki people, made up of clan chiefs and village chiefs. After becoming dormant in the early 20th century, it was revived in 1993 in order to safeguard the Kuki people against ethnic conflicts. It currently functions as a social network of the leaders of the community. Some fifty tribes of Kuki peoples in India are recognised as scheduled tribes in India, based on the dialect spoken by that particular Kuki community as well as their region of origin.
