Attacks on fringe villages ; worry villagers
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 16 2023:
Informing that armed Kuki militants have been car-rying out attacks and arson despite presence of central paramilitary forces in Meetei villages adjacent to Kuki-pop-ulated areas, especially at Tor-bung Bangla, Peace Committee Kangleipak president Kh Rajesh said that villagers in the foothills continue to live under constant fear.
Addressing a press meet at its Malom office, Rajesh observed that though large numbers of central paramilitary forces are deployed in the state to control the violence and protect pub-lic lives and properties, armed Kuki militants burned several houses in Torbung Bangla and Torbung Govindapur villages on the intervening night of May 13 and 14.Apart from this, three ci-vilians, who went to collect paddy from their abandoned homes, were abducted by the armed Kuki militants and they remain traceless.
At the same time, these villages are being constantly attacked using so-phisticated weapons all under the nose of the central forces, he said.
Considering the series of at-tacks on the villages located in the fringe areas in the presence of central security forces, peo-ple no longer feel safe under their protection.
The situation has put the Meetei villages in the foothills on the verge of extinction, he said while urg-ing the government to deploy adequate state security forces in the foothills and empower them.