The Kuki narco-terrorists have grossly violated and misused the sanctity of a humanitarian service vehicle, committing an inhumane crime that reflects their lack of moral and ethical integrity, it said. The COCOMI demanded immediate action against those who carried out the attack, as their identities have been revealed through social media, including the ambulance’s registration number.
TFM Desk
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has denounced the armed immigrant Kuki groups for using an ambulance as a cover to infiltrate Meetei villages under the guise of essential emergency services and killing a 31-year-old mother and injuring her daughter and nine other village volunteers in Koutruk, Imphal West District, on September 1, 2024.
“Justifying an act of terror by their so-called Kuki Volunteers, who used an ambulance to infiltrate Meetei villages and kill an innocent mother while critically injuring her young daughter, is utterly despicable. Kuki Inpi even attempted to justify a woman celebrating with these terrorist barbarians, who were having a meal inside the very ambulance used in the attack,” said a press statement issued by Yumkhaibam Surjitkumar Khuman, media coordinator of COCOMI, today (September 2, 2024)
A video of Kuki militants having food and celebrating the killing of the woman inside an ambulance has been doing rounds on social media after the attack on Koutruk village.
In the statement, COCOMI stated that the ambulance was confirmed to have come from the Leimakhong area, which houses one of the largest army camps.
“The Kuki narco-terrorists have grossly violated and misused the sanctity of a humanitarian service vehicle, committing an inhumane crime that reflects their lack of moral and ethical integrity. Shockingly, a woman in the background was heard appreciating these barbaric forces and celebrating the death of the young mother and the injury of her minor child,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has termed the “attack on unarmed Koutruk villagers using drone, bombs and many sophisticated weapons on 01-09-2024 reportedly by Kuki militants causing deaths of two persons, including one woman, and injuries to many” unfortunate.
“Such act of terrorising upon the unarmed villagers is viewed very seriously by the State Government, when the State Government is putting all possible efforts towards bringing normalcy and peace in the State,” said an official statement.
Strongly condemning the attack, it further stated that such act of creating havoc among the unarmed villagers reportedly by Kuki militants is seen as an attempt to derail the efforts taken by State Government to establish peace in the State. “The State Government has already taken up immediate action to control the situation and to punish those who were involved in today’s attack on Koutruk Village, Imphal West,” it claimed.
Maintaining the attack was premeditated, the COCOMI said in stark contrast to the evidence from video footage, photos, and ground reports, the Kuki Inpi quickly issued a press release that appeared to be preemptively drafted before the actual incident occurred. “The timing of their press release coincided suspiciously with the attack, making it evident that the incident was premeditated,” it asserted.
The COCOMI alleged that Kuki Inpi played a significant role in misleading the public, engaging in a disinformation campaign designed to deceive. “Some national and local media outlets were initially misled by the press release but later corrected their reports after realizing the truth and exposing the lies perpetuated by Kuki Inpi during the attack,” it said.
The COCOMI stated that the Manipur Police have clearly stated that several highly sophisticated drones were used by Kuki Militants to carry out the attack at Koutruk Villages. “Later in the day, some national media outlets withdrew their reports from various platforms after realizing the false and deceptive narratives that aimed to confuse the public and cover up the crimes and disruptions caused by these barbaric armed Kuki immigrant groups,” it added.
The statement said simply relying on the Press Release of the most deceitful group in the region without verifying the content is very dangerous and needs to be strictly checked.
It further said that this is not the first time Kuki Inpi has spread false and fabricated narratives through their press releases. For instance, they have previously fabricated and misrepresented the so-called Moirang Treaty of Brotherhood between the Meetei and Kuki, a narrative they constructed to legitimize their presence in the region. “However, historical records from the royal chronicles of the Meetei Kings clearly indicate that this was not a treaty but rather a request to serve under the King’s command to guard the boundary. Since being exposed for this PR stunt, Kuki Inpi has continuously propagated lie after lie, with yesterday’s press release crossing the bounds of humanity,” it said.
The COCOMI demanded immediate action against those who carried out the attack, as their identities have been revealed through social media, including the ambulance’s registration number. “If the state government fails to take appropriate action, public trust in the current administration could erode, leading to potentially extreme measures being taken to avenge the mother’s death and her daughter’s injuries,” it warned.