UKHRUL: The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has strongly condemned what it termed the excesses of the Assam Rifles (AR) against innocent Tangkhul Naga civilians in various locations across Ukhrul District today. The apex Tangkhul Naga body stated that the Assam Rifles personnel fired automatic rifles, used tear gas, and lathi-charged women, resulting in at least 22 women being injured, some critically. The injured are currently being treated at the Ukhrul District Hospital.
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In a press communiqué denouncing the incidents, the TNL Working Committee described a series of distressing occurrences in New Haven, Finch Corner, and Shokvao villages. Troops from the Assam Rifles confronted the women villagers violently as they protested against the unauthorized military outpost being established in New Haven, which reportedly falls under the jurisdiction of Shokvao village. The protesters demanded the removal of AR personnel from the site, as prior consent had not been obtained from the village authorities.
“Many individuals, including elderly women and student activists, were injured during the violence unleashed by the Assam Rifles in New Haven, Finch Corner, and Shokvao village. The AR personnel opened fire with automatic rifles, launched teargas canisters, and conducted lathi charges against the peaceful women protesters at various sites. Despicably, at Finch Corner, Colonel Sunil Singh Lunthi, the Commander of the Assam Rifles’ 40 Shangshak Battalion, personally led the lathi charge against the women,” the committee alleged. It also reported that the injured, over 22 in number, were rushed to Ukhrul District Hospital for emergency treatment, with some in critical condition.
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Furthermore, the TNL condemned the Assam Rifles’ conduct as completely unwarranted and unbecoming of a professional paramilitary force, which is regarded as India’s oldest military organization. “The events of today, along with the way AR personnel interacted with civilians—particularly women—highlight the hypocrisy behind their slogan, ‘Friends of the Hill People.’ Perhaps the ARs are merely friends of the Kuki people,” the TNL remarked.
The TNL Working Committee raised a crucial question about whether Manipur and India, in general, are under military rule, asking where the people’s representatives or the popular government are, in light of both today’s events and many past incidents.