Our Correspondent
Imphal | April 4
Gun toting youth of Nongshum village under Khundrakpam constituency in Manipur’s Imphal East continued to guard their village today against armed militants constantly threatening and assaulting them.
The Meitei village covered by Sagolmang Police Station has around 65 households with a population of only 300. The villagers claimed that heavily armed cadres belonging to Kuki National Organisation/Kuki Liberation Army (KLO/KLA) frequently come there to threaten and physically assault them to extort money.
The village youth have armed themselves with licensed guns to defend the populace against the militants day and night on rotation basis. Nongshum is surrounded by a couple of hill villages.
A joint action committee (JAC) constituted against the torture of Nongshum villagers by KNO/KLA said they had been facing persecution at the hands of the Kuki militants for several years.
The KNO/KLA is currently under ceasefire with the government. There have been many incidents wherein the militants were alleged to have attacked and destroyed houses in Nongshum and subjecting villagers to severe beatings without provocation.
The committee said security forces are not taking any step against them, except that they want to remain mere onlookers. It said the paramilitary forces, Army and police were unwilling to help the suffering villagers.
The villagers are now ready to respond to any kind of harassment and humiliation from the Kuki militants. Protesting against the hostile situation, the villagers have also been enforcing an indefinite bandh along Imphal-Khamenlok and Imphal Khongbal roads.
Reports said womenfolk in the village are trying to restrain impatience of the youth who could take up violent measure to counter the militants.
The surrounding villages are not responding to the call of Nongshum to settle the matter together, the reports added.
