The Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul has condemned the actions of the personnel of CRPF and RAF over the peaceful protest carried out by Kuki-Zo people at Shangkai, Ukhrul District, Manipur
The press statement stated that “the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul vehemently condemns the cold-blooded killing of three Kuki-Zo pastors and the Manipur Government’s criminal inaction over the abduction of 14 Kuki civilians. We are furious at the continued betrayal and third-class treatment meted out to the Kuki-Zo people.
“Today’s peaceful protest at Shangkai was a legitimate cry for justice. Yet, instead of addressing our genuine grievances, the CRPF and Rapid Action Personnel responded with brutal, excessive force against unarmed civilians, especially women. Reports from the ground confirm that security forces fired multiple rounds of tear gas directly into the residential area around 9:07 AM, assaulted protesters, and shot a woman in the head she is now fighting for her life in critical condition. Tear gas was also fired into a house sheltering a 95-year-old woman, causing her severe respiratory distress.
“This is not law enforcement this is state-sponsored terror and intimidation against a community already grieving multiple murders and abductions. The Government of Manipur knows exactly who abducted the 14 Kukis and where they are being held, yet it has shamelessly refused to act. The killers of the three pastors roam free while the administration turns a blind eye. Time and again, Kuki lives are treated as disposable.
“We have not forgotten previous atrocities, including the Saibol Post incident where a Kuki woman lost her eye to security forces’ brutality with zero accountability. Enough is enough.”
The Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul demands immediate action:
-Immediate and adequate medical treatment for all injured civilians, especially the woman shot in the head.
-An independent, time-bound judicial inquiry into today’s brutal attack by CRPF and RAP personnel. The Tangkhul CRPF personnel who fired tear gas at the victim’s head must be immediately identified and arrested.
-Swift identification and strict punishment of all security personnel responsible for assaulting civilians.
-Immediate intervention by the Ministry of Home Affairs to secure the safe release of the 14 abducted Kukis and arrest the culprits behind the killing of the three pastors.
-Concrete guarantees against the repeated use of disproportionate force and intimidation against Kuki-Zo civilians, particularly women.
-An end to the selective treatment and deliberate neglect of Kuki-Zo concerns by the Manipur Government.
“The Kuki-Zo people are not second-class citizens. We will not remain silent while our pastors are murdered, our people are abducted, and peaceful protests are met with bullets and tear gas. Peace cannot be built on lies, selective justice, and state repression.
“We call upon all human rights organisations, tribal bodies, church leaders, civil society groups, and democratic institutions to stand with us and exert maximum pressure on the Government of Manipur and the Govt of India to deliver justice without further delay.
“The Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul remains resolute in its demand for truth, accountability, and equal rights. Any further suppression will only strengthen our resolve” stated the statement issued by the Department of Information and Media, WCKCSOS-Ukhrul
