KRA cadres beat up Liangmai farmer over ₹300
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 05 2023: In continuation of Kuki militants targeting people from Liangmai Naga community by burning a house belonging to a person of the community in Leimakhong area earlier, another man from the same community was assaulted by cadres of Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) for not giving Rs 300.Informing that he was assaulted by the KRA cadres after he took names of United Naga Council (UNC), Naga Hoho and Liangmai Naga Council (LNC) as they were forcing him to pay the illegal tax, assault survivor Z Hotngambou (55) urged the three organisations to look into the matter.

Addressing a press meet at Manipur Press Club here on Tuesday, Hotngambou, former chairman of Lenglong village authority under Tamei sub-division, said that the incident occurred near Chalwa police outpost along IT road on Tuesday around 7.30 am.

Hotngambou said that he came to sell bananas from his farm in Imphal and Kanglatongbi in a Bolero Pick-up.

As he reached Chalwa police outpost, which is yet to be commissioned but is being utilised as a relief camp by Kukis, two persons who identified themselves as KRA cadres stopped him and demanded to pay Rs 300 .

He told them that they are also suffering from the current crisis and Naga authorities are also instructing them not to pay any illegal taxes.

The KRA cadres then asked him who the Naga authorities are, to which he took names of UNC, Naga Hoho and LNC.

At that point, the two KRA cadres assaulted him in front of his wife and kid.

In the assault, he broke his nose bridge and blood was oozing from his nose.

Only after then, the KRA cadres left and entered the police outpost.

As he continued his journey, some cadres of UKLF also stopped him in Kangpokpi and demanded to pay Rs 3000.Fearing for his life, he paid them Rs 2000 and proceeded towards Imphal where he sold his bananas, he said.

The farmer further said that this is not the first instance of illegal tax collected by Kuki militants along IT road.

They have been carrying out highway robbery, collection of illegal taxes and kidnapping for ransom, he said while urging the government to take stern actions against their illegal activities.

Stating that he was assaulted the moment he took names of UNC, Naga Hoho and LNC, he appealed to the three Naga bodies to look into the matter.

Lenglong village chairman K Zindaibou, who was also present at the press meet, strongly condemned the assault of a Liangmai Naga farmer by KRA cadres and subsequent extortion by UKLF cadres.

He also termed the incident as an invitation for a conflict not only between the two communities but between Naga and Kuki.

Stating that IT road has been a safe haven for Kuki militants to carry out their illegal activities, he urged the government to take up stern actions against the Kuki militants.

Meanwhile, Liangmai Naga Council of Eastern Zone, Liangmai Naga Council of Northern Zone, Liangmai Naga Council of Southern Zone and Liangmai Naga Council of Western Zone in a joint condemnation statement, said, "In a very shocking incident, a group of Kuki militants who identified themselves as KRA (one of the SoO groups) beat a Liangmai Naga at Chalwa, IT Road, who was on the way to Imphal from Rianglong village" .

The Liangmai bodies said the Kuki militants stopped the vehicle and asked for tax.

"When the driver (the victim) said he didn't have money, they started punching him.

The victim was profusely bleeding as the Kuki militants beat him", the Liangmai organisations added.

The Kuki militants also asked the identity of the victim before he was beaten up, according to the Liangmai bodies.

The Liangmai bodies, while strongly condemning it, said such incidents, perpetrated by Kuki militants, have been happening frequently along the IT Road.

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