Editor's Pick: Violence in Naga area of Manipur

In a fresh incident of violence, three village volunteers were killed by unidentified armed miscreants at Thawai Kuki village in Ukhrul district of Manipur, a Naga-dominated area, the police said on Friday. An Assam Rifles unit posted near the village was withdrawn a few days ago, and there were no other security forces present in the area. This is the first attack of its kind in the Naga-majority district, which has 14 Kuki villages, since May 3. The three men, who were in their bunkers, were most probably killed around 5 a.m. The bodies were mutilated, a community representative said. Ningshem Vashum, Superintendent of Police, Ukhrul told The Hindu that the killers are yet to be identified but it is suspected that “Meitei militants” carried out the attack. A defence source said that valley-based insurgent groups are suspected to be behind the killings. The deceased have been identified as Thangkhokai Haokip, 31; Jamkhogin Haokip, 35; and Hollenson Baite, 20. Mangboi Bungte, a local, said that owing to security concerns, many Kuki families from nearby Kangpokpi district had sent women and children to stay in the villages in the Naga district. “Even though no attack has taken place in Ukhrul, barring one incident of arson, the village volunteers had set up a bunker since early May. On Friday, the unidentified armed men killed the village guards in their bunker. They had multiple bullet wounds and were also attacked with sharp-edged weapons,” Mr. Bungte said. He added that an Assam Rifles unit posted around three kilometres from the village was recently removed owing to pressure by Meitei groups. A source confirmed that the unit was relocated on July 30 due to operational requirement. Meitei civil society groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the valley have demanded the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the buffer areas, where Kuki and Meitei settlements are adjacent to each other, alleging bias. On August 7, the BJP State leadership submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the “Assam Rifles has been charged by the public for their biased role in tackling the situation by favouring and supporting one side only.” The Kuki groups have opposed the withdrawal of Assam Rifles and questioned the role of State police commandos in the present violence. The Manipur Police have registered a case against Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force in the region, accusing its personnel of obstructing duty. During the no-confidence motion debate in Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah defended Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, saying that he had been cooperating with the Centre, and that the situation did not call for his dismissal or the imposition of President’s Rule. In an editorial, The Hindu pointed out that Mr. Shah’s appeal to the two warring communities, the Meiteis and the Kukis, to enter into a dialogue with each other and with the Centre should be taken up by both the communities for a chance at peace. The Hindu’s Editorials In the name of god: On how dangerously sectarian Pakistan is Material consideration: On the LK-99 ‘superconductor’ episode The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz In which year was the Registration of Births and Deaths Act passed? 1969 1989 1949 2009 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 19 August 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Violence in Naga area of Manipur In a fresh incident of violence, [three village volunteers were killed]( unidentified armed miscreants at Thawai Kuki village in Ukhrul district of Manipur, a Naga-dominated area, the police said on Friday. An Assam Rifles unit posted near the village was withdrawn a few days ago, and there were no other security forces present in the area. This is the first attack of its kind in the Naga-majority district, which has 14 Kuki villages, since May 3. The three men, who were in their bunkers, were most probably killed around 5 a.m. The bodies were mutilated, a community representative said. Ningshem Vashum, Superintendent of Police, Ukhrul told The Hindu that the killers are yet to be identified but it is suspected that “Meitei militants” carried out the attack. A defence source said that valley-based insurgent groups are suspected to be behind the killings. The deceased have been identified as Thangkhokai Haokip, 31; Jamkhogin Haokip, 35; and Hollenson Baite, 20. Mangboi Bungte, a local, said that owing to security concerns, many Kuki families from nearby Kangpokpi district had sent women and children to stay in the villages in the Naga district. “Even though no attack has taken place in Ukhrul, barring one incident of arson, the village volunteers had set up a bunker since early May. On Friday, the unidentified armed men killed the village guards in their bunker. They had multiple bullet wounds and were also attacked with sharp-edged weapons,” Mr. Bungte said. He added that an Assam Rifles unit posted around three kilometres from the village was recently removed owing to pressure by Meitei groups. A source confirmed that the unit was relocated on July 30 due to operational requirement. Meitei civil society groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the valley have demanded the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the buffer areas, where Kuki and Meitei settlements are adjacent to each other, alleging bias. On August 7, the BJP State leadership submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the “Assam Rifles has been charged by the public for their biased role in tackling the situation by favouring and supporting one side only.” The Kuki groups have opposed the withdrawal of Assam Rifles and questioned the role of State police commandos in the present violence. The Manipur Police have registered a case against [Assam Rifles]( the oldest paramilitary force in the region, accusing its personnel of obstructing duty. During the no-confidence motion debate in Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah defended Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, saying that he had been cooperating with the Centre, and that the situation did not call for his dismissal or the imposition of President’s Rule. In [an editorial]( The Hindu pointed out that Mr. Shah’s appeal to the two warring communities, the Meiteis and the Kukis, to enter into a dialogue with each other and with the Centre should be taken up by both the communities for a chance at peace. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][In the name of god: On how dangerously sectarian Pakistan is]( [Arrow][Material consideration: On the LK-99 ‘superconductor’ episode]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz In which year was the Registration of Births and Deaths Act passed? - 1969 - 1989 - 1949 - 2009 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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