Kukis tilling our fields : Khurkhul
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 17 2024: Acres of agricultural fields belonging to Meitei families are being forcefully occupied and tilled by Kukis, said farmers of Khurkhul village today.

At a sit-in protest staged at Khurkhul Makha Leikai, Khurkhul Gram Panchayat Pradhan Irengbam Shanta said a large portion of around 700 acres of fields in Khurkhul have been left unattended due to the present crisis in Manipur.

When farmers are unable to go to their fields due to threat posed by armed Kuki militants, some acres of fields in Khurkhul have been occupied and tilled by the Kukis.

This has angered the villagers and the owners of the fields, he said.

As most of the farmers are unable to tend their fields, they have been left with no other means of earning livelihood.

The Government must provide the monetary assistance it sanctioned at the earliest to ease their suffering, Shanta said.

Seeking the attention of the Chief Minister to address the grievances of the farmers, he also urged him to look into the forceful occupation of the Meitei fields by the Kukis and take up appropriate measures.

During the protest, the farmers held placards demanding the Government to release monetary assistance.

A woman protester asserted that the Government had earlier promised the farmers to give monetary assistance after the MP elections.

Farmers who are unable to tend to their fields are struggling to survive and send their kids to school, she said, appealing to the CM to release the assistance.

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