ITLF calls for Churachandpur shutdown over UKNA killings

Guwahati: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised tribes based in Churachandpur, has called for a shutdown of Churachandpur town on Thursday in protest against the killing of four members of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) by security forces in the Khanpi area of the hill district in Manipur.ITLF stated that all shops, educational institutions, and offices within the town will remain closed from 12pm onwards on Thursday until the burial ceremony is completed at the KKL Cemetery by the evening.“This shutdown is observed as a mark of solidarity, remembrance, and deep respect for our brothers whose lives were tragically and unjustly taken. ITLF earnestly requests the cooperation of the public, organisations, and all concerned to observe this period of mourning in unity and dignity,” the organisation said in a release on Wednesday.The autopsy of the UKNA cadres killed on Tuesday will be done in Churachandpur district hospital on Thursday morning, sources said.A defence PRO on Wednesday said UKNA posed a persistent threat to peace and stability in the hills region of Manipur, even as the killing of four UKNA militants in Churachandpur during a joint operation by the Army and Assam Rifles has led to condemnation from tribal organisations in Manipur.

It came to light on Wednesday that three security personnel also suffered gunshot injuries during the exchange of fire with militants in the Khanpi area of the district.ITLF claimed that the UKNA is not a terrorist organisation and has never acted against India or its security forces. They alleged the incident was a misuse of power and a “direct assault on the rule of law”.However, the defence PRO for Manipur, Nagaland, and Southern Arunachal Pradesh, in a release, described UKNA as a banned insurgent outfit operating primarily in the hill districts of Manipur.While ITLF claimed the UKNA members were killed while asleep, the defence PRO said armed insurgents were detected in the Khanpi area and were urged to surrender peacefully. The defence PRO stated that the heavily armed UKNA cadres opened indiscriminate automatic fire on the security forces, resulting in gunshot injuries to three personnel. “In the ensuing exchange of sustained fire from both sides, four UKNA cadres were neutralised.

Recovered arms included one 7.62 mm self-loading rifle, one AK-56, one MA4 MK II rifle, one under-barrel grenade launcher with magazines, ammunition, and other warlike stores from the cadres,” he said on Wednesday.However, ITLF said this was an unprovoked and barbaric killing of their own people. They called it an appalling abuse of power and a direct assault on the rule of law. “Such actions not only constitute a grave violation of human rights but also expose the deep-rooted bias and double standards within the state’s security apparatus,” ITLF chairman Letpu Haokip and general secretary Eld Thangsuolien Sinate said in the release.