Manipur: Chingdai Committee rejects police link to Nongshum incident, seeks release of three villagers

The Chingdai Area Core Committee has rejected the alleged link drawn by Manipur Police between the Nongshum incident and three villagers apprehended at S. Phailengkot on October 20, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.

In a statement, the committee accused the authorities of misleading the public, targeting village volunteers and applying security measures selectively. It said the three apprehended individuals, including civil society leader Seilal Haokip, had no links with insurgent or militant groups. These claims could not be independently verified.

The committee, which represents the Chingdai area under Saikul subdivision of Kangpokpi district, also called for the deployment of one battalion of Central security forces on the Chingdai side under the supervision of the Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police. It further sought the establishment of a grouping centre with adequate relief, rehabilitation and resettlement facilities for displaced villagers.

Describing Haokip as a civil society leader who had worked to promote peace, reconciliation and communication between security forces and the public, the committee termed his detention the “criminalisation of peacemakers”.

“Branding him as guilty is highly unfortunate. The government should be rewarding such peacemakers, not criminalising them,” the statement said.

The committee said Haokip was undergoing treatment for an eardrum injury and liver cirrhosis. It held the government responsible for any adverse development concerning his health and demanded that it bear the full cost of his medical treatment.

It maintained that the other two apprehended individuals were village volunteers whose stated objective was to protect their villages from possible intrusion. The committee called for an impartial investigation into the Nongshum incident based on evidence.

The committee also questioned the response of security forces during the violence of May 31, 2023. It alleged that Arambai Tenggol members and Meitei mobs, with the support of the Gorkha Regiment stationed at Chanung, had surrounded the area, killing people, burning houses and destroying property.

These allegations were made by the committee and could not be independently verified.

The statement criticised what it described as selective security operations and questioned whether similar action had been taken over the alleged killing of a villager from P. Moulding in the Leimakhong area and the burning of houses at Patlenjang near TM Kashom in Ukhrul district.

The committee also argued that residents of Chingdai had repeatedly sought security since the ethnic conflict began in May 2023 but had not received adequate protection. It said the situation had forced people to leave their homes, agricultural land and villages.

While acknowledging the recovery of arms by security forces, the committee said residents had been compelled to take measures for their own safety amid what it described as a security vacuum.

The committee said Chingdai residents had consistently respected the buffer zone established by security forces and appealed to all communities to maintain the arrangement until a broader peace agreement was reached.

Reiterating its demands, the committee sought the unconditional release of all three apprehended individuals, deployment of a battalion of Central security forces under the supervision of the Kangpokpi SP, and a grouping centre with adequate relief and rehabilitation support for displaced residents.

It said equal protection and fair treatment for all communities were essential to restoring peace and security in Manipur.