Curfew imposed in villages in Manipur's Kamjong after several tribal houses torched

Imphal, April 23 (IANS) The administration in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Wednesday imposed an indefinite curfew in two villages under the Sahamphung sub-division after unidentified armed cadres set fire to several houses in the two villages there, officials said.

Kamjong District Magistrate Rangnamei Rang Peter, in his order, said that Superintendent of Police, Kamjong, has reported that village houses of Gampal and Haiyang under Sahamphung sub-division, have been burnt down on Wednesday by some unknown miscreants, which poses a significant risk of creating law and order problems and may disrupt peace and public tranquillity in the area.

"...Under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, do hereby issue an order prohibiting the movement of any person outside their respective residences and any other act or activity that may disturb the prevailing law and order in the area until further orders," the order said.

Police officials, quoting the local people, said that the incident took place when most villagers of Gampal and Haiyang villages went to their fields for cultivation. Several Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal organisations condemned the arson.

Five tribal organisations, including the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), in a joint statement said that these heinous attacks have terrorised innocent Kuki civilians and once again imperilled the already fragile peace and stability in the region.

"The perpetrators of these cowardly acts have inflicted severe trauma, destroyed homes and property, and disrupted the lives of many who are already enduring the weight of ongoing ethnic tensions," the statement said.

It said that Wednesday’s attack is yet another horrifying chapter in the systematic targeting of the Kuki-Zo people, who continue to face violence, displacement, and discrimination.

"It is deeply alarming that such acts of terror persist under the watch of the government of India, which has repeatedly failed to uphold its constitutional duty to maintain law and order, particularly during a crisis that demands urgent, sensitive, and just intervention," the statement added.

The organisations demanded immediate rehabilitation of the affected families and to provide adequate and "neutral" security for these two villages.

--IANS

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