Songpi: The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes in Manipur, has strongly condemned what it termed as a series of targeted attacks on Kuki civilians in Chassad in Kamjong district, Yaolen in Ukhrul district and IT Road area in Kangpokpi district. In a statement issued on October 10, KIM alleged that the attacks were carried out by cadres of NSCN-IM and NSCN-Eastern Flank in collusion with state security personnel.
According to KIM, three civilians were killed in separate incidents on October 9 and 10. The organization identified the victims as Domkhonei Touthang, a 40-year-old woman and mother of five from Chassad village, Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, a 23-year-old village volunteer, and Sandeep Rai, a Nepali civilian. KIM alleged that Domkhonei Touthang was shot dead by personnel of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) while she was participating in a peaceful women protest at Chassad against the arrest of village volunteers. The incident occurred around 9:40 PM on October 9.
KIM further alleged that on the morning of October 10, cadres of NSCN-IM and NSCN-Eastern Flank attacked Chassad village, burning down hundreds of houses and rendering hundreds of families homeless. The organization said this is the second time Chassad has been burnt after March 2020. During the same attack, Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, son of Paothang Haokip, who was defending the village, was allegedly shot dead in what KIM described as a coordinated assault involving Naga militants and state forces.
In the third incident at Chingphei/Yaolen in Ukhrul district and IT Road area, KIM alleged that Sandeep Rai, a Nepali resident, was ambushed and killed by NSCN-Eastern Flank elements. The apex body said the killing of a Nepali civilian shows that the pattern of violence and extortion extends beyond the Kuki community and affects other minorities and vulnerable groups living in Naga dominated areas. It expressed condolences to the bereaved families of all three deceased persons.
Expressing grief and outrage, Kuki Inpi Manipur accused armed groups under ceasefire and a section of state security forces of systematically targeting the Kuki community and undermining impartial law enforcement. The organization questioned why armed cadres under ceasefire agreements are allowed to carry sophisticated arms and operate alongside uniformed forces in Kuki villages. It said despite repeated appeals for peace, normalcy and communal harmony by Kuki leaders, the community continues to face killings, village burnings and displacement.
Citing its own documentation, KIM claimed that since May 2023, 29 Kuki civilians have been killed, 29 Kuki villages attacked, damaged or burnt, and more than 1,500 people displaced from their homes in Manipur, including in the present Chassad incident. KIM said such figures reflect a pattern of persecution and called on the Central Government and State Government to ensure accountability, impartial justice and protection of life and property under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Kuki Inpi appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women and international human rights organizations to take suo-moto cognizance of the alleged violations and intervene immediately. It demanded registration of FIRs under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, withdrawal of IRB and Manipur Police from sensitive hill areas, deployment of neutral central forces, abrogation of ceasefire with groups violating ground rules, and adequate rehabilitation and compensation for the displaced families of Chassad and families of the deceased.
