GUWAHATI: Three persons from the Kuki community were injured during a reported exchange of fire in Manipur on Monday, even as a protest erupted outside the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal where the injured were admitted.
A mob gathered outside RIMS when news broke that the three were brought there. The crowd quickly swelled, with protestors shouting slogans opposing the trio’s treatment, claiming that they were militants.
When the protest further intensified, security personnel dispersed the mob using batons and tear gas. A section of protestors was critical of security forces for allegedly facilitating the transportation of the three to RIMS.
Kuki organisations identified the injured as Genlenmang Vaiphei, Paogoulal (both teenagers), and Lunliandaw Vaiphei (20). All three sustained grievous wounds.
Given the protests outside RIMS, the Leimakhong Area Chiefs’ Organization expressed concern over their safety and urged authorities to ensure that they received medical care in a safe and secure environment.
The gunfight erupted at around 6 am at a place between Leilon Vaiphei and Konsakhul villages. It stopped after about half an hour when security forces intervened.
Kuki organisation Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) alleged that National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and its “proxy” Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson faction) had carried out the “bomb attack.”
“Such attacks against civilian areas are unacceptable, inhuman, and a direct threat to the rule of law. The people of Leilon Vaiphei and the surrounding areas cannot be expected to live under fear while armed groups continue to operate with apparent freedom and impunity,” KIM stated in a statement.
It demanded immediate and decisive action from the government and security forces to identify, arrest, and prosecute all those involved in the attack.
Condemning the attack, the Vaiphei Peoples’ Council said, “This is not a one-time incident. The pattern is clear. Attacks on our villages are continuing day by day, deliberately targeting civilian settlements and spreading terror among innocent people.”
On May 13, an alleged Kuki group had abducted 18 Nagas from Leilon Vaiphei. The “mutilated and dismembered” bodies of six of them were recovered last week.
