KNF-N boycotts Republic Day

Our Correspondent
KANGPOKPI, Jan 22: The non-SoO Kuki militant outfit, KNF-N has boycotted Republic Day in all Kuki inhabited areas with effect from 1 am of January 26 till 5.30 pm in the afternoon and cautioned curious Kuki onlookers, civilians, students, etc to refrain from participation in the occasion to avoid any unwanted incident.
The Kuki National Front-Nehlun group had been continually boycotting Republic Day and Independence Day every year with an aim to make the Central Government aware of Kuki forefather’s contributions in the India Independence movement and to let the Central Government know their attitude toward the Kukis which they alleged the Government has ignored the legitimate 'birthright' of the Kukis for creation of Kukiland.
Earlier, in 2016, a grenade was found inside a Church which the outfit (KNF-N) had claimed responsibility as a threat to the then Addl DC Kangpokpi for defying the boycott called on Independence Day.
The outfit information and publicity secretary, Gou alias Kuki said that it is a universally known fact that the Kukis were divided by the British colonial authority prior to Independence into three different countries and make them the smallest nation in their respective settled countries, India, Burma (now Myanmar) and Bangladesh.
Continuing that the outfit had lost many cadres in its revolutionary movement, Gou continued "we should sacrifice our life to regain the lost territory of Kuki inhabited areas and transform them into one Nation by 'crushing the Constitution of India and the provisional boundaries of the tri-nation of South and South-East Asia'.
He also said that the Kukis started demanding the legitimate birthright of Kuki homeland through arms movement after the Government sidelined the peaceful movement initiated by Kuki National Assembly (KNA), which was set up in the 1960s.
Urging everyone in the region to lend support to their call,  it informed that during the boycotted hours, all Government offices and institutions, trade and commercial activities, public and private transportations must be put on hold.  Emergency and essential services, media and religious activities will be exempted from the purview of the boycott, it continued.
Meanwhile, KNF-N has categorically rebuffed the clarification of KLO/KLA over the double murder case of Hengjang Village chief and his nephew on July 10, 2019, between Keihao and Hengjang Village in Phailengmol (Island) Sub Division.
It alleged that four cadres of KLO/KLA along with B Gamnom village chief’s son Paotinthang alias Paotin Kipgen was involved in the incident as per the outfit intelligence inputs while appreciating the security forces for apprehending Paotin Kipgen and Alvinash Khongsai, an active cadre of KLO/KLA who is a s/s Sgt Major in the organisation.
It also alleged that Haogoulen alias Jalen Khongsai of Chalwa Village in Twilang (IT Road), who is the present KLO/KLA Kangpokpi Town commander, was also involved in the brutal double murder case while the KLO/KLA claiming Alvinash Khongsai as it ex-cadre is nothing but a blatant lie to save its image.
It further alleged that the KLO/KLA breaking its SoO ground rules by involving in the brutal double murder case of Hengjang village is not the first time, it had also in 2016 kidnapped four JCB driver working in sand quarry at Itham and on their way to Saikul Gampum Camp, its cadres killed two of the drivers at Molsohoi Village.
Questioning the State and Centre Governments of their sincerity in monitoring the ground rules of SoO agreement, KNF-N stated such killing could have been avoided had the Governments monitored the ground rules strictly.
It then urged the Home Department to ensure the SoO ground rules are strictly monitored so as to avoid further killing which can disrupt the peaceful coexistence of the people and apprehend all active cadres of KLO/KLA involved in the case and seized all unauthorised weapons used.