Kangchup Chiru villagers
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 10 2023: Amid the ongoing communal tension following violent clashes that erupted in Churachandpur district on May 3 after the tribal solidarity march turned violent, a small village inhabited by Chiru community has been forced shift location to a safer area.

Kangchup Chiru, a village nestled on Kangchup hill, finds itself surrounded by three Kuki villages, namely Kangchup Makhong, Kang-chup Songlung, and Kangc-hup Ponlen.

Village chief Len Thanga, speaking at a press conference held at Phayeng Keithel on Saturday, revealed that the village consists of 95 households and approximate-ly 570 residents.

Given the hostile environment, the area has become a battleground, leaving the villagers in a pre-carious and perilous situation.

Gunfights have been fre-quent in the area since May 3 .

While the Chiru commu-nity members have not been specifically targeted by any particular group, they face significant challenges in en-suring their safety as they are vulnerable to get caught in crossfire.

Tragically, one villager recently sustained gunshot wound during an ex-change of fire between Kuki militants and security forc-es.

Additionally, one house was set ablaze during these incidents.

Driven by fear for their lives, the villagers have re-located near Hangoi Pat, adja-cent to the valley, where they are in the process of establish-ing a new village.

Len Thanga expressed gratitude towards the residents of Phayeng vil-lage for extending assistance in this endeavour.

However, the community faces further hardships as some residents require regular dialysis treat-ment, and they are also grap-pling with food shortages.

Len Thanga emphasised the immense challenges the com-munity is currently enduring and appealed to the people of the state to ensure the safe passage of Kangchup Chiru village residents, urging them not to subject them to any violence.

He also called upon the government to provide necessary support and aid to the affected villagers.

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