Imphal:

Several civil society organisations of the Naga tribes in Manipur have condemned alleged assault on members of a student’ body of their tribes in Manipur’s Senapati district.

The Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) in a statement said their members were “brutally assaulted and harassed” by Kuki volunteers in Gamgiphai in the district on Sunday night.

The SDSA alleged their members were subjected to “aggressive physical attacks and abusive words spitted out to the leaders, in spite of repeatedly asserting the volunteers that they were executives of the SDSA.”

The official car of the students’ association was vandalised, the SDSA said.

“… SDSA questions the intention of the Kuki community as to why after repeated MoUs signed between NPO and CoTU for mutual respect and coexistence, the Kukis can’t keep up the agreement in letter and spirit,” the SDSA said in the statement, referring to the agreement signed between the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) and the Kangpokpi-based Kuki group Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) on November 21.

The Mao Students’ Union, and the Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me (PNTM) in separate statements also condemned the assault on the SDSA members.

“… These leaders, who bear the responsibility of representing and advocating for the community, were brutally attacked and harassed by Kuki volunteers stationed at the post… Such violent acts are utterly unacceptable and represent a grave threat to the harmony and cooperation we strive to maintain between communities,” the PNTM said.

The Mao Students’ Union said the “vandalism of official property further illustrates the malicious intent to degrade and intimidate”, and asked the authorities to act swiftly in holding the perpetrators accountable. It called on all communities “to reject such disgraceful behaviour, fostering a spirit of respect and unity.”

While the Manipur ethnic violence is between the Kuki tribes and the Meitei community, the situation has often led to tension building up among other communities in sharing road networks, logistics, and passenger transport.

The Naga and the Kuki tribes had been involved in ethnic clashes between 1992 and 1999.

Imphal:

An influential student union of the Naga tribes in Manipur’s Senapati district has started what it calls a “non-cooperation movement” over alleged harassment, extortion and threats on a national highway.

The Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) in a statement that was also sent to the Deputy Commissioner and the district police chief appealed for free movement on National Highway-2 and an end to “any form of harassment”.

The SDSA alleged a truck was set on fire “on our land” on June 19 night.

“We strongly condemn this act of arson… which is a grave threat to the safety and well-being of all communities. We demand the culprits be booked and befitting punishment be given as per the law, at the earliest,” the SDSA said.

The student union in the Naga-dominated area has asked all businesses to stop engaging in any commercial transactions with the Kuki tribes. It said this step was necessary “to respond to the unwarranted aggression and to protest the interests of our community.”

The SDSA alleged the Kangpokpi-based Kuki body Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has “completely ignore our statements and pleas”. National Highway 2 passes through the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district.

“We started this non-cooperation as they have been harassing our people. Our people go to Imphal and other places every day for work. We use the highway, and we pay huge illegal taxes. They have now burned a truck in a Naga area,” a key member of the SDSA told NDTV.

The SDSA member said they do not want to get into a fight with any community, amid the ethnic tensions in Manipur.

“In fact we have helped them. Many injured Kukis were taken to hospitals in Nagaland when violence broke out last year. Many were given food and shelter. Have they failed how we helped them, our hospitality?” the SDSA member said, requesting anonymity.

“They have even demanded lakhs in ‘taxes’ from poor egg-sellers who use the highway. We are not in a mindset to put more burden on them, but if they don’t stop harassing and targeting our people and allow free movement on the highway, we will also not stop,” the SDSA member said.

The Kuki body CoTU has not responded to the SDSA statement yet.

The hill-dominant Kuki tribes are in a conflict with the valley-dominant Meitei community since May 2023. Over 220 have died and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.

The Naga and Kuki tribes had also fought in the early 90s.