GUWAHATI: A 17-year-old Naga student, identified as NK Wiphenbou from the Liangmai Naga community, was shot dead allegedly by Kuki rebels around 10:05 am on Monday between Upper Takou and Malek village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, amid continued violence in the state.
The United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur’s apex Naga organisation, condemned the “cold-blooded murder by Kuki militants” which signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
“The continued killings, arson, and gun violence against the indigenous communities, the rightful masters of the soil, is a direct consequence of abject state security failure and willful complicity,” the UNC alleged in a statement.
It called upon all Nagas to remain alert and united to defend “our lives, lands, homes, and future from this external aggression.”
The Working Committee, Joint Tribes Council Manipur (WC-JTCM) asked state and central authorities to condemn the killing, and initiate “immediate, decisive, and viable action” against the SoO groups violating the agreement.
“The charade of the SoO agreement must end if it only serves to provide impunity to terrorists,” the WC-JTCM said, demanding that the perpetrators be identified, apprehended, and brought to justice swiftly, along with immediate security measures to protect vulnerable Naga villages.
Meanwhile, the organisation criticised the state government, as seven Kuki villagers were released hours after they were detained by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It viewed this act as a “blatant betrayal of the Naga people and a criminal abetment of terrorism.”
Protest was staged in the state capital Imphal on Monday against the release, with the government coming under scrutiny over its handling of security and law-and-order issues.
During a sit-in, the protestors demanded the re-arrest of the persons, and urged the government to stop the alleged selective application of the law.
The CRPF released the seven on Saturday night after their detention had sparked violent protests in the Kangpokpi district. A mob chased security vehicles, pelted stones at them and also dug a national highway to prevent their movement.