Kukis attacked first: Meitei Leepun
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 18 2023: The Meitei Leepun has categorically stated that it was the Kukis who ignited the violent crisis by attacking Meiteis and their villages without any provocation.

Giving a detailed account of how the violent crisis erupted, Meitei Leepun leader M Pramot said that hundreds of participants of the May 3 Churachandpur rally first attacked Bishnupur.

Even before the rally started, the Kukis burnt down a forest office at around 10.30 am.

Then they started attacking Meitei villages at around 3.30 pm.

The Meiteis retaliated only at around 7.15 pm, Pramot said.

It was not the whole Meitei community which retaliated but a handful of villages and a few mobs.

The Meitei community as a whole has not yet made any response till date, he said.

It was the Kuki infiltrators who launched the aggression in collaboration with the Kukis already settled here in pursuit of their dream for a separate homeland, he continued.

Kukis attacked first: Meitei Leepun

Pramot said that illegal drugs are being transported in the name of supplying relief materials and the authorities have been facilitating internal migration in the name of evacuation of Kukis.

The violent clash which erupted on May 3 was meticulously planned and orchestrated with the objective of creating Kuki exclusive domains, he said.

He said that the Meitei Leepun volunteers have been only defending Meitei villages from the Kuki offensive in association with the local villagers.

Noting that some people have been seeing the ongoing conflict as some sort of festival, the Meitei Leepun leader said that they have been working hard to streamline the Meitei community's resources and energy.

Many activities of the Meitei Leepun such as children's programme, women's programme and cultural programme have been affected by the prevailing situation but these programmes cannot be cancelled.

Moreover, the Meitei Leepun was not set up to fight the Kukis.

The Meitei Leepun is fighting the aggressor Kukis in order to protect the Meiteis, he said.

Appealing to all the people not to target elected members, Pramot urged the elected members to understand the indignation of the masses and discharge their duties at their best level.

He said that burning down houses of elected members may turn out to be creating space for imposition of President's Rule in the State.

The Meitei Leepun volunteers may withdraw from their respective posts only after adequate security forces have been deployed in all the vulnerable areas.

The Meitei Leepun would not suspend its movement until all the illegal immigrants are verified either through NRC or another mechanism and displaced people, both Kukis and Meiteis, return to their homes, he said.

It was the Kukis who first burnt down Meitei houses and drove Meitei people away from areas dominated by them (Kukis), Pramot said.

The displaced Meiteis should be asked to go back to their homes only after adequate security deployment and they are freed of the apprehension of any further attack from the Kukis, he said.

He also asked the Pangal community not to facilitate immigration of Muslims from Bangladesh.

Likewise, Nepalese settled in the State too should not encourage immigration of fellow Nepalese from outside the State.

"Let us all live together in peace and harmony", Pramot further appealed to all the communities who settled in Manipur since the past.