PREPAK to observe Martyrs' Day on Nov 12
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 10 2023:
The proscribed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) will be observing 'Martyrs' Day or Athouba Singgi Ningsing Numit' on November 12 in honour of the martyred revolutionaries.
The outfit has been observing 'Athouba Singgi Ningsing Numit' every year on November 12 since 1979 to commemorate the attack by a combined team of CRPF and Manipur police at a transit camp of the outfit at Leimarok near Kameng on November 12, 1978 wherein outfit's Dhiren and Kabikanta along with PLA cadre Gambhir were killed.
The day also coincides with the November 12, 1985 firing incident at Kabowakching sugar factory wherein outfit's then supreme commander RK Tulachandra alias Loyataba laid down his life for the causes of the people of Kangleipak.
On the occasion, the outfit paid highest honour to all the revolutionaries who sacrificed during the course of revolutionary movement and appealed to the people to light candle and offer prayer for the martyred souls on November 12 evening at every residential gate.
According to a PREPAK statement, the violence erupted suddenly from 2/3 hill districts of Kangleipak on May 3 continues unabated and firing at peripheral valley areas continued till date to prevent farmers from harvesting their hard sown paddy.
In the initial phase, the conflict war was seen as Meetei-Kuki communal clashes.
The Kukis then projected the war as oppression of Tribal Christian Minority by Meetei Hindu Majority and even termed ST demand of Meetei to grab more land as root cause of the war thereby projecting the Meetei community as villain both inside and outside India.
They then projected the issue as suppression of Minority Tribal by Majority Hindu and even accused Meeteis of forcing out tribal from Imphal to grab land.
Apart from this, the Kukis claimed that they defended attacks from Meeteis with available weapons to save their ancestral land and demanded separate administration for Kukis alone with the narrative that no Kukis are in the valley and no Meeteis are in the hills.
The open and aggressive campaign of the Kukis, however, seem to subside after the Government of India contradicted Kukis' claim on causes of the issue and started taking up steps in line with Meeteis' narrative of the violence.
Though not openly declared, the Government of India cited influx of illegal immigrant from neighbouring countries and cross border narco-terrorism as main causes of the issue and even directed NIA to investigate involvement of Kuki militants in the violence.
More importantly, the Government of India does not take up any step in the line with the demands of the Kukis and this could assume that the Government of India seems to understand facts about the violence.
Nevertheless, the people of Manipur must remain vigil and stop any attempt to divert from the core issue, the PREPAK statement issued by charge-de-affairs of publicity and propaganda Leibaak Ngaakpa Luwang said.