Manipur: Meitei civil body urges govt to act after attack on farmers
This comes a day after a 60-year-old farmer, Ningthoujam Biren, sustained a bullet injury on his left arm after he was allegedly shot by Kuki militants while working in his paddy field at Phubala in Bishnupur district.
'We have been alerting the authorities for years. The current pattern of security deployment is clearly inadequate. Armed militants are targeting farmers in their fields, and this latest incident only reinforces our warnings,' COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said.
A clash also broke out on Sunday morning in Imphal East after a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi allegedly arrived with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak, near a Kuki village. No casualties were reported.
With paddy cultivation underway, the COCOMI has demanded deployment of additional security personnel along the first line of hill terrain and foothill ranges bordering the valley's agricultural zones. 'This is the cultivation season. Our farmers have the right to access and cultivate their fields safely. Denying them this security is denying them a basic right,' Athouba added.
Also Read:Clash breaks out between Meitei-Kuki communities in Imphal East over farmland
Clarifying that people in the valley do not oppose Kuki farmers cultivating on nearby lands, Athouba said, 'But the security forces must act decisively against those carrying arms and threatening either of the community.'
Athouba accused the government of only issuing statements but making little implementation on the ground. 'The public is losing patience. This must be the last time such an incident occurs. The government must respond with urgency and seriousness. If not, we could witness another wave of massive public protests,' Athouba said.
COCOMI has urged the government to take strong measures to neutralise threats from armed groups on both sides, said Athouba.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Ethnic Conflicts Between Kuki & Meitei Turn Fertile Farms Into No Man's Land
On May 3, 2023, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, leaving deep scars on the state's people and land. Once, Kuki and Meitei farmers cultivated paddy side by side in the fertile fields between the valley and the hills. Today, these lands lie barren, turned into a no-man's land by a miles-long buffer zone. In Chingphei village, farmer Ngulsang shares his quiet anguish - over two years without access to his land, his livelihood lost to a conflict that refuses to fade. In Manipur, rice isn't just food - it's a way of life. Nearly 2.3 lakh farmers depend on paddy cultivation across 1.95 lakh hectares, but fear, displacement, and violence have devastated productivity. From Kangpokpi to Imphal, and Churachandpur to Bishnupur, fertile fields remain uncultivated, symbolising a fractured community and an uncertain future. Watch to understand the human cost of conflict in India's Northeast. Show Full
NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
Assam Thadou Tribe Chief Defends Manipur Peace Meet, Calls For Unity
Imphal/Guwahati: A Thadou tribe chief of a village in Assam's Dima Hasao has strongly condemned threats and online abuse against him for attending an event themed on peace in Manipur's capital Imphal. The event 'Road to Peace' held on August 6 marked the first meeting between Meitei community and Thadou tribe representatives in over two years since Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began. Samuel Chonkholal Lhouvum, the chief of Khomunnom village in Assam's Dima Hasao district, in a statement on Sunday said he voluntarily participated in the event to endorse the people of Manipur acknowledging the Thadou tribe's distinct identity. "No degree of online trolling, misinformation, or personal threats will deter me from upholding the Thadou's distinct identity or from supporting genuine peace initiatives in Manipur," he said. "I call upon all concerned to refrain from provocative statements and to actively contribute towards the path of peaceful understanding," he added. "I wholeheartedly support this initiative on humanitarian grounds and affirm my unwavering commitment to this initiative." During the event, the Thadou Inpi Manipur and Meitei civil society organisations like the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) agreed on the need to remove misunderstandings and work toward equity for all communities of the border state. However, the Thadou Inpi Manipur's stand that Thadou is a distinct tribe and not part of the larger Kuki nomenclature has invited criticism from Kuki groups that assert the Thadou tribe is very much a part of the Kuki umbrella. These Kuki groups are leading the call for a separate administration carved out of Manipur, which the Thadou Inpi Manipur do not support. Mr Lhouvum, the Thadou tribe chief from Assam, said it "saddened" him to see Thadou people misidentified as Kuki - "leading to victimisation and silencing under both Kuki supremacist pressures and Meitei community anger." "Despite the loss of lives and properties among my own kin and across all communities, I resolve to work towards genuine community understanding between the Thadou and Meitei peoples and others and I extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to all victims without distinction," he said. After the 'Road to Peace' meeting in Imphal ended, posts on Kuki social media pages and accounts threatened "action" against Mr Lhouvum. A number of Kuki insurgents operate in some pockets of Assam under different banners including United Kukigam Defence Army (UKDA), Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA-Assam), and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA-Assam). "Following two years of consistent effort, the leadership of Thadou Inpi Manipur successfully convened the Road to Peace covenant of understanding meeting. Upon learning of this historic development, I voluntarily requested to participate, as leaders from Thadou Inpi Dima Hasao, Thadou Inpi Karbi Anglong, and Thadou Inpi Assam were also invited to attend," Mr Lhouvum said. Mr Lhouvum said his village, Khomunnom, has been covered by Thadou Mauzadar (established in 1886) under the NC Hills Autonomous Council in Dima Hasao district. "My ancestors have been born Thadou and have died Thadou. The Thadou are a distinct and indigenous ethnic group and have never been, nor will ever be, subsumed under the so-called 'Kuki', notwithstanding certain erroneous references by colonial writers and researchers," the Thadou village chief said. "I also take pride in the fact that the Thadou are the largest tribe in Manipur and the second-largest community after the Meitei. The indigenous presence of the Thadou in Manipur is of paramount importance, and I fully support and wish for the peaceful coexistence of various communities in the state of Manipur without affecting its territorial integrity," he said. The valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 260 were killed and nearly 50,000 were displaced. Some internally displaced people have started returning home. There has been no report of large-scale violence for many months now.
India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
Manipur: Nagas call off blockade after talks with government; Kukis follow suit
Tensions in Manipur showed signs of easing on Thursday after the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) called off its blockade and agitation with immediate effect, following a meeting with the state government in Imphal. In response to the FNCC blockade, the Kuki Working Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also enforced an economic blockade along National Highway-2 (NH-2) in retaliation to the FNCC's bandh restricting the movement of Kuki blockade will continue until the FNCC ends its unjust bandh and allows free movement of our people,' said a Kuki Working CSO spokesperson earlier. The FNCC, which began its agitation on July 18, had been protesting alleged unauthorised road projects—most notably the 'German Road'—through Naga ancestral lands without consent. The talks, chaired by senior officials including N Ashok Kumar, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home), addressed key FNCC concerns on unauthorised roads, the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, and illegal poppy government clarified it had neither approved nor sanctioned any unauthorised roads and assured legal action against such works after verification. It also pledged to consider the interests of Naga communities in the foothill areas when reviewing the SoO agreement and to continue strong enforcement under its 'War on Drugs' these assurances, FNCC leaders, including Dr Aku Newme and B Robin Kabui, signed an agreement with the government, leading to the immediate lifting of their blockade. The indefinite bandh, called by the FNCC, barred Kuki movement through Naga-inhabited areas, in protest against road construction projects—most notably the 'German Road'—which they say are being built through Naga ancestral lands without lifting of both blockades is expected to restore the movement of goods and people across the state's key highways.- EndsMust Watch
