ZSF belittles CM's casualty figures
Source: Chronicle News Service / Kaimuanthang Mangte
CCpur, May 28 2023:
Disputing the statement made by chief minister N Biren that 33 Kuki militants have killed so far by security forces, the Zomi Students' Federation (ZSF) dismissed the CM's remark baseless and fictitious.
According to ZSF secretary Samuel Taithul, state forces killed an innocent villager who was defending his villages at Kangvai and its adjoining areas on Sunday.
He said there has been growing tendency on part of the state government to brand any innocent civilian killed during the ongoing violence as militant, which is absolutely false.
Th secretary maintained that all the Kukis killed were innocent villagers who were helplessly defending their village with ordinary weapons at their disposal and were helpless to defend themselves from attack by state securi-ty force particularly police commandos along with Arambai Tenggol and Meetei Leepun.
State government has the ten-dency to count all the Kukis killed so far as militants but it must be noted that all the Kuki victims were innocent villagers.
While claiming that So0 groups are not involved in the ongoing violence and all the So0 cadres are in their respective designated camps for which security forces have been conducting roll calls, the ZSF secretary termed CM Biren's accusation as totally baseless and unfounded.
Regarding the May 27 in-cident in the villages bor-dering Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, the ZSF secretary said state's security forces put them in a convenient range to fire upon the villagers who are on self-defence and they were firing with single barrel rifles.
He alleged that state forces even used lathode shells and 2 inches mortars on the hapless villagers.
He also said that state forces attacked villag-ers in Sugnu area who were guarding their villages and a gun battle ensued.