Kukis rally, submit memo to Nemcha
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Our Correspondent
Kpi, Jul 3 : Hundreds of Kukis on Friday staged a rally at Kangpokpi district headquarters, demanding justice for the killing of three Kuki-Zo Church leaders and raising what they describe as the continued neglect of the deaths of Kuki-Zo civilians and the destruction of their villages during the ongoing conflict.
The rally was organised by the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum (KCLF), with participants carrying placards and banners demanding justice, accountability and equal recognition of the suffering endured by the Kuki and Zo communities.
Following the rally, members of the KCLF and the demonstrators marched to the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
Although the Deputy Chief Minister was not present, the delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to her representative, urging to place their grievances before the State Cabinet and the Union Government.
In the memorandum, the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum sought justice for Kuki-Zo victims, protection of Kuki-Zo land and villages, and condemned what it termed selective media coverage and State narratives surrounding the ongoing violence.
While acknowledging that the conflict has inflicted suffering on multiple communities, the forum alleged that public discourse has disproportionately focused on the deaths of six Nagas while overlooking what it described as the extensive devastation suffered by the Kuki-Zo community during the same period of violence.
According to the memorandum, 14 Kuki and Zo individuals have been killed in recent incidents, and 13 Kuki and Zo villages have been attacked and burnt.
The forum also highlighted what it described as the brutal ambush and killing of three Kuki-Zo Church leaders, calling it one of the gravest attacks on the community's faith and social fabric.
However, the Thadou Inpi Manipur and other Thadou organisations have repeatedly rejected the mis-identification of the three Church leaders namely; Dr Rev Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI), Kaigoulun and Pastor Paogoulen, as Kuki.
They were killed in an ambush on May 13 at Kotlen in Kangpokpi district.
The Thadou organisations have repeatedly asserted that the slain Church leaders were Thadous, not Kukis.
Placing a series of demands, the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum called for an impartial investigation and accountability, seeking the immediate institution of a high-level independent inquiry into the burning of 13 Kuki villages and the killings of 14 Kuki civilians. The memorandum alleged the involvement of NSCN (IM) and ZUF (K) in the incidents and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
The forum further demanded protection of Kuki-Zo land and villages, urging the State Government to ensure robust security deployment to safeguard remaining Kuki-Zo villages from ongoing attacks while securing their ancestral lands and protecting the lives and welfare of the people.
Seeking rehabilitation and compensation, the memorandum urged the Government to provide immediate and comprehensive assistance to rebuild the 13 villages allegedly attacked and burnt, and to ensure the safe rehabilitation of displaced families.
Kpi, Jul 3 : Hundreds of Kukis on Friday staged a rally at Kangpokpi district headquarters, demanding justice for the killing of three Kuki-Zo Church leaders and raising what they describe as the continued neglect of the deaths of Kuki-Zo civilians and the destruction of their villages during the ongoing conflict.
The rally was organised by the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum (KCLF), with participants carrying placards and banners demanding justice, accountability and equal recognition of the suffering endured by the Kuki and Zo communities.
Following the rally, members of the KCLF and the demonstrators marched to the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
Although the Deputy Chief Minister was not present, the delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to her representative, urging to place their grievances before the State Cabinet and the Union Government.
In the memorandum, the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum sought justice for Kuki-Zo victims, protection of Kuki-Zo land and villages, and condemned what it termed selective media coverage and State narratives surrounding the ongoing violence.
While acknowledging that the conflict has inflicted suffering on multiple communities, the forum alleged that public discourse has disproportionately focused on the deaths of six Nagas while overlooking what it described as the extensive devastation suffered by the Kuki-Zo community during the same period of violence.
According to the memorandum, 14 Kuki and Zo individuals have been killed in recent incidents, and 13 Kuki and Zo villages have been attacked and burnt.
The forum also highlighted what it described as the brutal ambush and killing of three Kuki-Zo Church leaders, calling it one of the gravest attacks on the community's faith and social fabric.
However, the Thadou Inpi Manipur and other Thadou organisations have repeatedly rejected the mis-identification of the three Church leaders namely; Dr Rev Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI), Kaigoulun and Pastor Paogoulen, as Kuki.
They were killed in an ambush on May 13 at Kotlen in Kangpokpi district.
The Thadou organisations have repeatedly asserted that the slain Church leaders were Thadous, not Kukis.
Placing a series of demands, the Kuki Christian Leaders' Forum called for an impartial investigation and accountability, seeking the immediate institution of a high-level independent inquiry into the burning of 13 Kuki villages and the killings of 14 Kuki civilians. The memorandum alleged the involvement of NSCN (IM) and ZUF (K) in the incidents and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
The forum further demanded protection of Kuki-Zo land and villages, urging the State Government to ensure robust security deployment to safeguard remaining Kuki-Zo villages from ongoing attacks while securing their ancestral lands and protecting the lives and welfare of the people.
Seeking rehabilitation and compensation, the memorandum urged the Government to provide immediate and comprehensive assistance to rebuild the 13 villages allegedly attacked and burnt, and to ensure the safe rehabilitation of displaced families.