Imphal, December 19: Following the alleged quit notices served on Kuki villagers in Ukhrul district by the NSCN (IM), the State Government has written to the Ceasefire Monitoring Authority, supervising the truce agreement between the Centre and NSCM (I-M), asking them to investigate the incident, sources said.

Tension is brewing between Kuki tribe and NSCN (I-M), which advocates "greater Nagaland" comprising parts of neighbouring States, following receipt of a letter by the Kuki villagers of Thawai village in Ukhrul district asking them to vacate their village before Christmas.

The areas named in the letter include some parts of Tamenglong district and Thawai village in south Ukhrul, the area from where former Manipur Chief Minister Rishang Keishing hails.

The Manipur Government has written to the.

Ceasefire Monitoring Authority, asking them to investigate the incident, the sources said.

A memorandum has already been submitted to the Chief Minister of Manipur, highlighting the purported quit notice served by the NSCN (IM) on Thawai villagers.

The Chief Minister was urged to deploy adequate troops at the said village to ensure the security of the villagers.

The matter has also been taken to the Manipur Human Rights Commission.

Apart from the quit notice, tension has been running high at Ukhrul district for the last few days after one Tangkhul and an elderly Kuki man were dragged down from a bus and shot dead on the Sanakeithel-Imphal road a few days back.

Before this, one Meitei youth was killed and another two injured (both Tangkhuls) when unidentified gunmen opened fire at Yaingangpokpi bazar.

When contacted, K Chawang, the self-styled deputy minister of information of NSCN (IM) denied writing any such letter and accused anti-peace activists of trying to malign the outfit.

"This is a move by some of the anti-peace activists in the Kuki tribe who want to give a bad image to the Naga leadership," Chawang told PTI over phone from Nagaland.

He said NSCN (IM) leadership was in touch with the Ceasefire Monitoring Group to sort out the matter but admitted "some tension" between Naga people and Manipuris in Tousem sub-division of Tamenglong district.

The letter to the Kuki tribe came at a time when the top brass of NSCN (I-M), including its chief Isak Swu and General Secretary T Muivah, was in the State after several years.

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