Video: Kukis Allege Naga Insurgents Burned Their Village In Manipur

Some structures including huts at a village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district were set on fire by insurgents today. The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) in a statement to the media claimed responsibility.

The ZUF said it acted as part of a "decisive campaign" against illegal opium poppy cultivation, narcotics trafficking and alleged encroachment by illegal immigrants in areas that it described as "ancestral, customary and historical territory of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people."

There are four kindred Naga tribes under Zeliangrong, namely Zeme, Liangmai, Inpui, and Rongmei.

On getting information about the incident, the security forces including the Assam Rifles rushed to the village, officials said, adding they are monitoring the situation.

"Despite repeated public alerts and sufficient time granted for peaceful compliance, enforcement action was carried out at 12 pm, burnt the farmhouses, farms and dismantled other essential material against illegal poppy cultivation..." the ZUF said in the statement.

The Kangpokpi-based Kuki civil society group CoTU in a statement asked the state government to catch the perpetrators within 24 hours. If not done, the organisation will impose a shutdown on key highways, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) said. Kuki areas in Kangpokpi are considered strongholds of the Kuki National Front (KNF), part of the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement.

The Sadar Hill Chief's Association (SAHILCA) in a statement said the ZUF must apologise and pay for the damages within 24 hours.

Social media users from the Kuki community posted visuals of the burning village in Kangpokpi, saying there were no illegal poppy farms there, as alleged by the ZUF. The visuals also showed some people who appeared to be residents of the village walking away from the fire. An elderly man sat on the ground as fire spread to the huts behind him.

Officials said they are assessing the extent of damage.

Tension between Kuki and ZUF has been rising in recent weeks. The ZUF (S Kamson) went to a hill village in Kangpokpi district, 45 km from the state capital Imphal, and destroyed illegal opium poppy cultivation earlier this month.

The ZUF (S Kamson) alleged they were fired upon by Kuki insurgents while its members were busy destroying poppy farms. The gunfight led to tension in nearby villages, they said.

The situation escalated when the chairman of Ireng Naga village in Kangpokpi alleged he got a phone call from a Kuki insurgent active in the area. Following this, a large number of villagers held a protest and blocked a key road in the area.

The ZUF (S Kamson), which signed a ceasefire with the Centre in 2019, is a faction of the ZUF.

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