We defend with licensed guns, say volunteers in Kpi
Source: Chronicle News Service
Kangpokpi, June 12 2023:
Saikul Assembly Constituency in Kangpokpi district is one of the worst vi-olence-hit areas in the district.
As many as 69 villages in the sub-division were burnt down, the latest being 1\vichin, H Molhoi, and T Wakonphai, which were torched on May 28 .
The worst part, according to the people of Saikul, is that during the three days union home minister Amit Shah visited the state as many as 25 villages in the sub-division were burnt down.
Following the violence on May 3, more than 41 re-lief camps were set up by the community in Saikul AC alone to shelter over 4200 internally displaced people.
A committee comprising finance, defence, media & se-curity, medical and sanitation, relief committee, data man-agement and stock in-charge, external affairs, transportation, hospitality, fire-related, and ambulance committee was also formed under the aegis of Kuki Inpi Saikul Gamkai, to monitor and manage the situation, relief camps and internally displaced people in the sub-division.
In the peripheral areas of this constituency, people, mostly men, roam around with guns at Gangpijang village, one of the peripheral villages located at around 7 km away from the sub-divisional headquarters.
On inquiry, one of the vil-lage volunteers' leaders said that they are village volunteers guarding and defending the vil-lages, land and the people with licensed guns.
He continued that they have no sophisticated weapons and are, in no way, connected with any militant groups or organisations as al-leged by the Meitei community.
He also said that it is unfor-tunate to witness the Meitei community always putting a false and misleading accusa-tion that the Kuki militants are attacking them whenever any gunfight occurs.
"We have never attacked, they are attacking us, and we are just defending and guard-ing our land and people with our licensed guns.
No militant outfits have ever been involved till now," he added.
He further said that since our village is in the peripheral areas, volunteers from various surrounding and adjoining ar-eas also came here and made roaster duty to defend the land and people.
All the gunmen are in possession of their gun licenses, he maintained.
Meanwhile, Goupu Chon-gloi, the overall in-charge of the relief camps and relief ma-terials, said that initially they had no stock and it was the local resources from churches, village chiefs and individual contributions that they were able to meet the essential needs of the internally displaced peo-ple.
He continued that, how-ever, they now have received contributions from within the state and outside from vari-ous organisations such as Naga People's Organisation, Kuki Inpi, KSO Nagaland, Indian Red Cross Society, NEIGRIMS Shillong, and various other or-ganisations from Bangalore and other cities through Saikul Area Theological Students' Associ-ation and InSIDE North East.
Goupu also highlighted the problems they have been facing with regard to medicines and other necessities stating that the stock they have now will only be sufficient for four to five days.
Meanwhile, the National Flag or the tricolour was seen put up along the roadside and mostly in all the household and bazaar areas till today in Saikul sub-division.
Chongloi explained that even if the Government of Manipur had failed them, we still have faith in the Constitution and that they feel safe under the fluttering tricolour.
As such, they had put up the tricolour till now.
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