Kuki Inpi Manipur Strongly Condemns Targeted Harassment of Villagers and Misuse of Combing Operations
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) strongly condemns what it describes as continuous harassment of Kuki-Zo villagers by Central Security Forces under the guise of combing operations, particularly in Leilon Vaiphei and surrounding areas. KIM alleges that aggressive military-style actions, including cordon-and-search operations and house-to-house raids, are being carried out against civilians already affected by violence and economic blockade. The organisation also highlights the ongoing blockade of essential supplies and demands immediate restoration of lifelines, cessation of civilian harassment, and deployment of security forces to clear national highways instead of targeting villages.
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) issues this statement to register its vehement condemnation against the continuous, targeted harassment of innocent villagers and the systematic violation of individual rights and privileges by Central Security Forces under the guise of “combing operations.” The recent, deeply disturbing actions of the security forces in Leilon Vaiphei and adjoining villages are completely unacceptable and antithetical to democratic governance.
In Leilon Vaiphei, a village already reeling under armed aggression, security forces have deliberately surrounded the area and imposed a restrictive, military-style lockdown. Instead of acting as a shield for a traumatised community, the forces are alleged to be treating victims as suspects, conducting aggressive house-to-house searches and intimidating civilians, including women, children, students, and the elderly.
The collective voice and mandated rights of the Kuki people cannot be permanently ignored. Kuki Inpi Manipur has raised this issue before and reiterates firmly that continued neglect of the community’s plight and suppression of its people will have serious and far-reaching repercussions.
This situation comes at a time when the Kuki-Zo community is already facing an existential crisis. The community is also affected by what is described as a prolonged economic blockade, allegedly enforced by the United Naga Council (UNC), resulting in severe shortages of essential supplies and deepening humanitarian distress.
KIM states that failure to clear essential supply routes while simultaneously conducting aggressive operations in besieged civilian villages reflects a deliberate worsening of the suffering of the people. This, it asserts, violates the fundamental right to life, dignity, and survival guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
The organisation demands immediate cessation of all civilian harassment, psychological pressure tactics, and cordon-and-search operations in peaceful Kuki-Zo villages. It further calls for urgent action to secure essential lifelines by deploying security forces currently stationed in villages to clear blocked national highways, ensuring uninterrupted access to food, medicine, and essential supplies.
KIM emphasizes that peace cannot be maintained through selective policing, intimidation, or double standards. It states that while armed groups reportedly operate along key routes, security forces are instead focusing their operations on unarmed civilians in hill areas.
Kuki Inpi Manipur reminds the Government of India and law enforcement agencies that the Kuki people are citizens of the country and must be treated with equal protection under the law. The organisation urges authorities to urgently reassess operational approaches to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
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