Manipur: Churches & homes of tribals burnt in Jiribam, says ITLF

Imphal, Nov 17 : The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a key Kuki-Zo tribal body on Sunday night said that at least five churches, one school, a petrol pump and 14 homes of the tribals in Jiribam were burnt by rival community attackers.

Condemning the burning down of the churches, a school, a petrol pump and houses on Saturday night, the ITLF alleged that the security forces stationed in Jiribam town failed to protect the buildings despite a Supreme Court order to protect structures abandoned due to the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

Raising the question of why are churches repeatedly being targeted, the tribal body claimed that more than 360 churches have been destroyed since the ethnic conflict started in Manipur as if this is some kind of religious war.

The latest round of violence started with the unprovoked attack by “militants” at Zairawn village in Jiribam, in which a combined force of radical groups burned the village and brutally murdered a 31-year-old woman, the ITLF alleged in a statement.

It said: “It is baffling that CRPF personnel stationed near the village who patrol the area daily refused to come to the aid of villagers and stayed in their camp during the entire duration of the attack without firing a single shot to repel the attackers.”

According to the organisation, the radical outfit also killed Haojoel Doungel, 27, a native of Pangmol village in Tamenglong district in Jirighat in Assam’s Cachar district Saturday night.

The body of Haojoel has been recovered on Sunday in Jiribam with his hands tied and the telltale signs of torture, they said.

The ITLF urged the Assam government to be more vigilant so that violence does not spill over into the state.

The tribal body alleged that with the Meitei-centric state government fully supporting radical outfits militants and the attacks on minority Kuki-Zo civilians and urged the central government to “clamp down on these groups who are armed with weapons looted from state armouries and are continuously looking for opportunities to attack tribal settlements and keep the pot boiling”.

The ITLF statement said that until the armed radical groups are reined in, violence in the state will not stop.

“Kuki-Zo volunteers have no choice but to arm themselves to protect their land and their families. It is high time that the central leadership clamp down on radical groups. Once the attacks on the tribal people stop, violence will dissipate,” the statement said.

It said that this must be followed by a long-term political solution.

“It should be noted that every round of violence in the past year started with rival communities attacking and killing tribals. If the present situation is allowed to go unchecked, the minority Kuki-Zo tribes, who have faced the brunt of the suffering, would have no choice but to retaliate in a more forceful manner,” the ITLF said.