Kolkata: Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand has assured Kuki community leaders, village chiefs and church authorities in Kangpokpi district that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing would be punished, irrespective of community.“Justice will be delivered irrespective of communities. If anyone does wrong, be it Meitei, Naga or Kuki, they will be punished,” he said.The CM also invoked the Bible and Gautama Buddha’s teachings while appealing for peace in the strife-torn state, where violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 3, 2023, has claimed 260 lives. At least 25 people from Kuki and Naga groups were also killed in sporadic clashes this year.Khemchand made the statement during a stopover at Kangpokpi bazaar while returning from a tour of Senapati district on Wednesday. He also responded positively to demands raised by Kuki leaders for development projects in the area.The leaders thanked Khemchand for the safe release of 14 Kuki hostages and appealed to him for development projects in the village and the district. They also sought the govt’s intervention to lift the ongoing blockade of Kangpokpi by Naga groups.The blockade was started by Naga groups seeking justice for the murder of six of their members after the release of the 14 Kuki youths.During Wednesday’s interaction, Lengmang Chongloi, the headman of Taphou Kuki village, a hamlet bordering Senapati with 250 households and 1,200 people, thanked Khemchand for ensuring the safe release of the 14 Kukis, the CM secretariat said. Chongloi also requested the CM to set up a security post in the village apart from a community hall and a market shed.Haokholen Kipgen, the president of Sadar Hills Village Chiefs’ Association at Taphou, reiterated the demand for Khemchand’s intervention to end the blockade.Kuki Inpi Kangpokpi president Thangminlen Kipgen said police stations across the district were facing a manpower shortage and sought Khemchand’s help to improve the situation.In response, the CM said the market shed would be built in the village soon and asked the village authorities to approach the district commissioner for the community hall.“The demand for the security post has been noted. During my Senapati visit, I met United Naga Council leaders and thanked them for releasing the 14 men unharmed. We cannot allow our future generation to suffer because of the conflict,” he said.“I am trying to strengthen the police force and our new DGP is also doing the same. I appreciate his efforts to depute Kuki police officers in Imphal and Meitei officers in Kangpokpi,” he added.Referring to the violence in the hills — the clashes between Kukis and Nagas — the church leaders said the unrest began when three pastors were killed in Kangpokpi district on May 13 this year and sought justice from the govt.Khemchand replied, saying, “Justice will be delivered irrespective of communities. You are Christians, Nagas are also Christians. When you open the Bible, it sends a message of forgive and forget. I am a Hindu and a believer in Gautama Buddha, who preaches peace. We should all work for the return of peace in Manipur.”The CM added that he enquired about the well-being of the internally displaced people (IDPs) and instructed the Kangpokpi district commissioner to pay special attention to their health, particularly cancer and dialysis patients.
