Naga village guard condemns arson, alleges security forces' complicity in attack

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 4: Vehemently condemning the arson attack carried out by Kuki militants on Sempat Naga village yesterday, the Naga Village Guard, Western Command, has called on the Government to probe the "complicity" of security forces in the attack.
Sempat Naga village is in Noney district.
The NVG claimed the security forces stationed in the area vacated their post prior to the attack.
An independent investigation into the complicity of security forces who vacated their posts prior to the attack must be initiated, it said.
"Our commitment to peace has been met with further aggression" as Sempat Naga Village was burnt to ashes, it said.
The NVG, Western Command asserted that the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement has been repeatedly violated by Kuki militant groups who use it as a cover for "terrorism against Naga civilians."
The SoO agreement has become a shield for murderers and arsonists, and its continuation is an affront to justice and a betrayal of the Naga people who have been left defenceless against these attacks, it added.
The State and the Central Governments must immediately deliver justice for "the murder of our six brothers [who were abducted on May 13] and the arson attack on Sempat Naga Village," said the NVG.
"We call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all individuals involved, the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations agreement with Kuki militant groups which have repeatedly violated its ground rules, the declaration of KNF-P and affiliated groups as terrorist organisations, an independent investigation into the complicity of security forces who vacated their posts prior to the attack...," said the NVG.
Citing Nemcha Kipgen's relationship with the KNF-P chief, NVG said she must be removed from post as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen is the wife of KNF-P chief Thangboi Kipgen alias Semtinthang Kipgen.
Further, the Governments must ensure security for all Naga villages, compensate and rehabilitate the affected families, and evict all illegal villages established on Government and protected land, said the NVG, Western Command.
"The Government of India and the Government of Manipur now stand at a crossroad, where they must either deliver swift, impartial, and exemplary ppunishment to the perpetrators of these crimes or bear full responsibility for the consequences of their inaction," it said.
It also appealed to civil society organisations, human rights groups, and the international community to speak out against the acts of terror occurring in Manipur.
Silence in the face of such terror is tantamount to complicity, and the blood of "our murdered brothers and the ashes of our burnt villages" demand nothing less than full accountability and justice, it said.
"The NVG stands resolute in its sacred duty to protect our people, and we will not hesitate to exercise our inherent right to self-defence should the state continue to fail in its constitutional obligation to protect us," it added.