Manipur violence: Kuki National Organisation spokesperson’s house set on fire

Guwahati: Giving alarming signals, a Kuki leader’s house in Manipur’s Churachandpur was set on fire on Monday night.

The house of Seilen Haokip who is the spokesperson for Kuki National Organisation (KNO) came under attack, The Indian Express reported.

The attack came a day after the KNO and United People’s Front (UPF) offered to remove the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district.

There were multiple incidents of Meiti community members torturing the houses of Meitei elected representatives in places in the valley including Imphal.

Since the violence broke out on May 3, this is the first major incident of attacking the house of a Kuki-Zomi leader in a Kuki-Zomi dominated area in Songpi of Churachandpur district.

The incident gathers importance in the wake of the tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement that the KNO and UPF reached with the Manipur and the Central governments.

The KNO and UPF on Sunday said that the agreement was made following Union Minister Amit Shah’s ‘deep concern to restore peace and harmony in the state and alleviate the plight of people in general,’ The Indian Express reported.

They also offered to remove the blockade on the state’s lifeline NH2 to ensure that movement of essential commodities is not interrupted.

The report further said that Hoakip, whose house was tortured, was one of the signatories to the statement alongside UPF spokesperson Aaron Kipgen.

A section of the Kuki-Zomi community is not pleased with the decision to remove the blockade, according to the report.