Violence inevitable until SoO withdrawn: L Jayantakumar
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 01 2023:
Ex-minister L Jayan-takumar has said that unless the Suspension of Operation (So0) with the Kuki mil-itants, who are involved in the violence and violating the ground rules of the agreement, is withdrawn, the violence will continue.
Addressing a press meet held at his Pishumthong res-idence on Wednesday, Jayan-takumar said that as per SoO, the number and location of designated camps, the total number of cadres and weapons are already known to both the central and state governments but the Kuki militants con-tinue to act without restrain.
Amid this, there is an increase in spread of misinformation/ rumours and the people have no means of verifying the same due to shutdown of internet services.
Meanwhile, the security forces particularly the As-sam Rifles are being accused of aiding the armed hill mil-itants, seeing them turn a blind eye to the burning of homes and attack on civilians right in front of their eyes.
The government's solution to provide some monetary compensation to those af-fected is not what the people want.
What the people want is peace, he contended and as such, urged for addressing the issues mentioned, while helping to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
He continued that various factors such as the influx of il-legal immigrants, the custom-ary law of the Kuki community which is acknowledged by the courts and the nomadic nature of the Kuki community, had fuelled the need for the com-munity to unite and demand for a homeland of their own.
Jayantakumar then said: "It would be wrong to name the present violence as the conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
The original and true Kuki natives indigenous to the state are our brethren.
The one who should be driven away from the state are those who are not native to this land and had entered the state ille-gally from Myanmar" .