A leading Kuki-Zo organisation on Tuesday announced a slew of measures to ensure the safety of community members “against the possibility of an upcoming Meitei attack” on September 28 in Manipur.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised Kuki-Zo tribes in Churachandpur district, announced the steps in the form of a public notice after an emergency meeting earlier in the day.
The ITLF has taken the following steps at its meeting to defend community members against the possibility of an upcoming Meitei attack — no travelling outside the Kuki-Zo area from September 26 to 29; closure of borders during September 26-29; closure of schools, institutions and offices from September 27 to 29 and total shutdown on September 28 (excluding emergency services like medical, fire, water and media).
The ITLF, which operates in Churachandpur, has also directed village volunteers and citizens to be on high alert and medical teams and ambulances (private and government) to be on stand-by from September 26 to 29.
“Additionally, we ask that all district security personnel, be it state or central, remain extremely vigilant in order to thwart any outside attacks,” the ITLF said.
The ITLF claimed there were “indicators” about an “attack plan” targeting the Kuki-Zo. “Previously, an assault on Kuki-Zo occurred shortly after the Manipur government announced the presence of 200 Kuki militants in Jiribam. The 900 armed men from Myanmar who are supposedly moving must be a ruse for attacking the Kuki-Zo.”
The 900 armed men ITLF referred to in its notice is the well-trained Kuki militants who, according to an intelligence input, have entered Manipur from Myanmar.
Manipur security adviser Kuldiep Singh had on Friday said they were taking the intelligence inputs seriously and had alerted the security forces.
The Kuki-Zo organisations have, however, refuted the intelligence inputs as “rumour” and “fabricated inputs”. The ITLF measures once again underlined the distrust between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zos since the ongoing conflict broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, leaving at least 237 dead and over 60,000 displaced.
Like the ITLF, the Kuki Inpi unit in Kangpokpi district has issued an urgent advisory to “all Kuki citizens” to exercise maximum caution and vigil on September 28 as there were credible intelligence inputs suggesting Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol may “carry out a violent attack against our people”.
“This potential threat stems from the baseless and inflammatory lies being spread by Meitei extremists, falsely claiming that 900 Kuki militants” have entered Manipur “and preparing to launch an attack on the Meitei population”, the Kuki Inpi unit said.
The Kuki Inpi has urged community members to exercise extreme caution by avoiding unnecessary travel and also urged security forces “to take extra measures to ensure the security of Kuki people during this period of heightened tension”.
Other leading Kuki-Zo organisations like the COTU will also issue separate advisories anytime, sources said.
Memorandum to PM
Three Delhi-based Meitei civil society organisations (CSOs) — Delhi Manipuri Society (DeMAS), Meitei Heritage Society, and Ningols United Progressive Initiative (NUPI) — on Monday submitted a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi with copies marked to Union home minister Amit Shah and Union defence minister Rajnath Singh “to express our profound concern over the escalating violence being perpetrated by armed Kuki terrorists against Meitei civilians, which now threatens India’s national security”.
Seeking Modi’s personal intervention to prevent further violence, safeguard the lives and properties of innocent civilians, uphold the territorial integrity of Manipur and protect national security, the three CSOs have sought “investigation into the involvement of the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), its officials and armed Kuki terrorists behind the attacks on Meitei civilians using drone bombs and missile attacks”.
The CSOs have also sought the “abrogation” of the suspension of operations (SoO) with Kuki terror outfits due to its repeated violations of the rules of the agreement; declaring organisations “involved in the attacks as terrorist organisations and launching a concerted crackdown on armed Kuki terrorists and neutralise their nexus with foreign anti-India forces behind the ongoing crisis in Manipur”.