Chassad: The Kuki Village Volunteers, Village Volunteer Eastern Zone (VVEZ) on September 25 issued a strong rejoinder to the statement made by NSCN-IM leader Leisan Asa in connection with the recent Pilong incident in Kamjong district. In its official press release, VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers rejected the narrative being projected that the four deceased were innocent villagers of Pilong. The organization said that such claims are misleading and are an attempt to distort the ground reality to gain public sympathy.
VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers in its statement said that the Kuki people have always respected the political aspirations and political movement of the Naga people. However, it made it clear that no political settlement between the Government of India and any Naga group can be at the cost of Kuki ancestral land and villages. VVEZ asserted that the land in question, including areas around Pilong, Chassad and Kamjong, are ancestral lands of the Kuki people where they have been living for generations.
Recalling history, VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers said that during the Kuki-Tangkhul conflict of the early 1990s, hundreds of Kuki villages were attacked, burnt down and uprooted in Ukhrul and Kamjong areas. It said that Pilong and many other villages are part of that lost history. The Kuki Village Volunteers clarified that their present political demand for Union Territory with Legislature is an independent and democratic demand under the Constitution of India and is limited to the reclamation and restoration of the lost ancestral Kuki villages.
Referring to the recent incident, VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers said that the statement of NSCN-IM leader Leisan Asa had portrayed the four deceased as innocent civilians and bona fide villagers of Pilong. VVEZ has categorically denied this claim. According to VVEZ, none of the four deceased persons are residents of Pilong village. It alleged that an attempt is being made to create a false narrative that innocent Naga villagers were killed, when the reality is different.
On the identity of the four deceased, VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers made a serious allegation. The organization claimed that the four slain NSCN-IM cadres were not innocent civilians but were active transporters of a narcotics network operating in Kamjong district. VVEZ alleged that Kamjong, which lies close to the Indo-Myanmar border, has become a major corridor for drug trafficking. It claimed that the four deceased were part of this network and were linked to the 2iC of the Phungtha Brigade of NSCN-IM.
VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers said that the Eastern Zone, particularly Kamjong, has been witnessing a surge in illegal drug trade which has affected the youth of both communities. It said that many local people have raised concerns about the free movement of armed cadres involved in drug transportation. It said that its volunteers have been monitoring such activities to protect their villages.
In light of these allegations, VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers has demanded an impartial and transparent probe into the Pilong incident. It said that a probe should investigate the true identity of the four deceased and their alleged link with drug networks and the alleged involvement of the Phungtha Brigade’s 2iC. It appealed to all CSOs and church leaders to refrain from inflammatory statements that could escalate tension.
At present, the situation in Pilong remains tense but under control. VVEZ – The Kuki Village Volunteers said that its volunteers are maintaining maximum restraint and are committed to peace, but will not compromise on the protection of Kuki ancestral land.
