IMPHAL, July 31 : Kuki Inpi, Manipur (KIM), the apex traditional institution of the Kukis in Manipur has urged the Prime Minister of India today to deliver justice to the 900 Kukis killed by the NSCN-IM in the 1990s before any possible agreement is made with the Naga outfit.
In a lengthy memorandum to the Prime Minister, the KIM said over 60 memoranda had been submitted to the past four Prime Ministers of India including PV Narasimha Rao, H. Deva Gowda, I.K Gujral and Atal Behari Vaypayee and now to the present Prime Minister to amicably settle in a proper court of law in order to have peace and justice and to bring about law and order.
If that is so, “the last rite of those 900 innocent people murdered could be performed, according to the Kukis’ traditional practice of the burial rite, and over the two decades mourning come to a close. Without settlement, the age old Kuki customary law of burial rite cannot be performed and therefore, the government of India is repeatedly requested to settle the matter of Kukis killed before any agreement made with the culprits”, the Kuki Inpi, Manipur said.
“Many memoranda submitted to the above mentioned Prime Ministers to perform the last burial rites for 900 people butchered have not been replied, except your assuring letter dated 15-12-2011 and that of the Honourable Union Minister (Home)’s letter of the 21st March, 2013, which gave us hope for the settlement of the matter regarding the 900 Kukis butchered, 360 villages uprooted, and one lakh people made refugees in their own land by the NSCN-IM, before any possible agreement made with the NSCN-IM,” the KIM memorandum stated.
It then said that very surprisingly, an Imphal daily The Sangai Express had reported on July 26, 2013 which said, “A highly placed source informed The Sangai Express that the state government was put under strong pressure by the Ministry of Home Affairs to give positive feedbacks and response on certain matters related to the government of India’s quest for a solution to vexed Naga issue”.
“If the above quoted statement is true which vividly signifies that you have not only ignored over 60 memoranda submitted to you and to the past Prime Ministers, Union Ministers (Home) and even to His Excellency, the President of India, but you have also ignored your own promise ‘For action as appropriate’. These two letters are enclosed here with few memoranda already been submitted and an “Open letter to Mr Th Muivah for peace” written on June 5, 2010 for your easy reference. Please note that Kukis are the people who stood firmly for all indigenous people of the present so called north east India gainst the British might, and saved the whole land by sacrificing thousands of lives and many leaders imprisoned in several prisons in India and abroad. The war remains unsettled till date. Kukis hate violence of any form but want peace restored by means of the law of the country,” the Kuki body pointed out.
“Therefore, we appeal urgently that the government of India should respect those 900 innocent Kukis killed by NSCN-IM not sparing children, women, aged, invalids and many village chiefs and settle their case before any possible agreement made with NSCN-IM. Any settlement negates the rights of other cannot be accepted. A settlement for one particular community should not be the beginning of problem for other communities living with it. Any settlement should be in line with peaceful co-existence to all people living in the north east India from time immemorial.
Less the settlement possibly be made will become the epic centre of social disharmony, which may cause a civil war much worse than the present chaotic situation in the whole north east India. The rights of all indigenous people must be equally respected,” the Kuki Inpi urged to the Prime Minister signed by its president Thangsei Haokip.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/kim-urges-pm-to-solve-naga-problem/
