Imphal: The Meiteis didn’t start the war. The Kuki-Narco terrorists forced us to fight back and will continue till our land, resources and forest are well protected and saved from those invaders.
The above statement was stated by Irom Ibungo Singh, Commander, Village Volunteer Force, Elangkhangpokpi, under Kakching district, while delivering a keynote address on a ‘One-Day Convention on the Importance of Village Volunteer Force at the Present Turmoil,’ last Wednesday.
Detailing a brief genesis on the current violent ethnic clashes in Manipur, Ibungo said the first report of burning down of Meitei houses in Churachandpur began at Kangvai village around 2.40 pm and then at Torbung Bangla at 3 pm. Around 300 Meitei houses were razed to ground in this nearly half an hour time.
Around 5.30 pm, all the weapons from Churachandpur Police station were looted by Chin-Kuki militants and by 5.59 pm temples belonging to Meiteis were smashed to the ground. At 7.50 pm Meitei houses in Churachandpur were burned down and shots fired towards Meiteis, he contended.
For this reason, he continued, Village Volunteer Forces were developed in almost all Meitei villages.
Ibungo recalled that during the early period, many youths were selected to protect their villages and they are known as ‘Keiroi’. The word ‘Keiroi’ in ‘Keiroi Leikai’ in Manipuri dialect is the Village Volunteer Force, he added.
Stating that we need weapons to protect our homes and land, Ibungo said that putting a blanket ban on License guns by the state government has put our people in a dangerous situation.
Our volunteers wouldn’t agree with the notion that the war is ending. If the war is over, then our people languishing in various relief camps should be freely allowed to settle in their homes. They should be properly compensated for their loss. Only then we would accept that the war is over, he warned.
