Shocked by brutal killing of four Meetei Civilians
- New Delhi, 15 January 2024 : Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC) -

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Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC) is deeply saddened and shocked by the brutal killing of four innocent civilians (Meeteis) who went missing on the afternoon of 10/01/2024. The victims, who went into the nearby hills to collect firewood, tragically lost their lives in a senseless act of violence by suspected Kuki militants. They have been identified as Oinam Romen Meitei (45), Ahanthem Dara Meitei (56), Thoudam Ibomcha Meitei (53) and Thoudam Anand Meitei (27).

Two are from the same family - Thoudam Anand is the son of Thoudam Ibomcha. Wounds and deep cuts on the bodies of the victims are enough evidence of high tortures. Ahanthem Dara Meitei was found with a bullet mark in his right temple and a broken leg.

The Meeteis have always depended on the neighbouring hills for firewood and other livelihood. Above this, we have strong religious and cultural attachment to the hills where there are our ancestral temples. It is our indigenous practice since time immemorial to worship our indigenous God and Goddess idolized on the top of hills on the auspicious day of Meetei’s Cheiraoba (one of the oldest Meeteis religious festival).

It is our indigenous traditional right to visit the hills either for worships or to collect livelihood. It is condemnable and inhuman to the highest level to call the ruthlessly murdered poor civilians “WOOD THIEVES” as even reported by India Today Northeast.

It has been eight months that the conflict has been played out with massive destruction of lives and property to the common people. The central government has deployed more than 60,000 paramilitary forces and has even created the much-controversial “buffer zone.” It can be mentioned that areas, where much of the gunfire exchanges happen, are in this “buffer zone” and also where AFSPA are in place. One wonders how all these killings of innocent civilians are happening right under the watch of the central armed forces.

This killing is a sign of complete lawlessness in the hill areas where armed miscreants and more than a dozen Kuki SoO militant groups are roaming freely without any respect for law and order and the presence of central armed forces and AFSPA too.

A victim said “All are very poor people. It is just like that fishes are handed over to cats to eat. It is so sad. Such killing is so sad. Such brutal killing will be happening in the future also. Poor people will go to work (to collect firewood) to feed ourselves. To make survive ourselves, poor people like us will go to work. If they are killing poor people like this, when they are going to get firewoods , how will poor Meetei people survive? Pabung (father) Biren, will you remain silent by looking at such killing of poor people? Insteed of surviving like this, kill all of us. All brutally killed three are one was my maternal uncle; one was my paternal uncle and one was my elder brother. So many Meetei people have been killed in such manner. How poor people will survive and what to eat? If poor people do not go to work, who will feed the poor? It is so sad that if poor people are not human being! Poor people have also heart. If poor people do not work, who will feed us? How will you see and live in such condition. All the people who are working at these foothills are all poor people"

As said by a Meetei victim ( family member of) Mr. Anand, whose paternal and maternal uncle and her elder brother were brutally killed by kuki armed militants on 10th January, 2023.

“I am so saddened by the reasons of the brutal murder of my husband by kuki militants. The government has not done anything in the last 8 months for poor people who have been survive by hand to mouth. Since we could not afford to pay for gas, my husband went to collect firewood for personal uses and to sell it for the last three months. The foothills they have gone was not under kuki dominated areas but under the Meetei areas. They have gone to that place because that foothill is under the control of the Maha Regiment of central security forces. Even for Chief Minister, Shri N.Biren Singh , he keeps promising that violence will be controlled and sending so many security forces, but why he is supporting kukies. What the government have done so far?”

Said by the wife of Dara Singh (55years) who has been murdered brutally

With all these shocking murders of the Meetei civilians, DMCC would like to ask to the Government of India, why you have intended not to take action against kuki militants who have been perpetrating such heinous crimes against common people since 3rd May 2023? Is it because, Government of India has signed Suspension of Operations (Soo) with kuki militants? Since you have failed to protect the lives of common people as mandated by Constitution of India, the responsibilities of brutal murder of four Meetei lies on the Government of India and the central security forces who have been deployed and controlled the Manipur Hills. During this extremely difficult time, we extend our heartfelt condolence to the victims’ families. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families.

We strongly condemn this inhumane act of violence which have no place in our society. We urge the central and to abrogate Soo with Kuki militants and also to state government to pressurise the central government to take actions against everyone who are breaking law and order in Manipur and also urge to bring justice to the victims’ families and held the perpetrator accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Issued by
Publicity & Media Coordinator
Delhi Meetei Co-Ordinating Committee (DMCC)