GUWAHATI: Amidst the turmoil in Manipur, the largest insurgent group in the Northeast National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) has expressed regret over the attack on Naga villages in Kom, which is also the native village of Olympian boxer Mary Kom.
The insurgent outfit also expressed concern safety of various “minority” tribal groups in the state. It said that the recent clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur are “inhuman and detestable”.
Kangathei, a Kom village in Manipur, came under attack from the Kuki militants and the villagers were forced to flee. The NSCN-IM said such 'vicious violence' would only aggravate the situation and this must be put to stop forthwith for the sake of humanity and peaceful co-existence.
NSCN-IM urged the Meiteis and Kukis not to involve such minor Naga tribes in the ongoing violence and to uphold the ideal of peaceful coexistence.
It further appealed to “our Meitei brothers and Kukis” not to view these tribes otherwise or harass them in any manner.
Government of India’s “Glimpse of the Indigenous Tribes of Manipur” states that people belonging to Aimol and Chothe tribes speak the Kuki-Chin-Mizo language while those from the Chiru tribe speak the Chiru dialect which is one of the Kuki-Chin-Naga languages.
NSCN-IM also claimed that six minor tribes are part of the Naga community.
“The NSCN puts on record that Aimol, Chiru, Chothe, Kharam, Koireng and Kom are part of the Naga community and have been actively involved in the Nagas’ political struggle and freedom from India and Myanmar,” the outfit said in a statement.
It further states that people belonging to the Kom tribe speak a language similar to that of Koireng, Aimol and Chiru and is closely related to the Hmar. The Hmar tribe belongs to the Kuki-Chin-Mizo group.