IMPHAL, Oct 22: The Chingdai Area Core Committee has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of three villagers apprehended at S. Phailengkot on October 20, rejecting the alleged link drawn by Manipur Police between them and the Nongshum incident.
In a statement, the committee accused the authorities of misleading the public, targeting village volunteers and applying security measures selectively. It maintained that the three individuals, including civil society leader Seilal Haokip, had no links with insurgent or militant groups. These claims could not be independently verified.
Representing the Chingdai area under Saikul subdivision of Kangpokpi district, the committee also sought the deployment of one battalion of Central security forces on the Chingdai side under the supervision of the Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police. It called for a grouping centre equipped with adequate relief, rehabilitation and resettlement facilities for displaced villagers.
Describing Haokip as a peace advocate who had worked to promote reconciliation and improve communication between security forces and the public, the committee condemned his detention as the “criminalisation of peacemakers”.
“Branding him as guilty is highly unfortunate. The government should be rewarding such peacemakers, not criminalising them,” the statement said.
The committee said Haokip was receiving treatment for an eardrum injury and liver cirrhosis. It held the government responsible for any adverse development in his health and demanded that the authorities cover the full cost of his medical treatment.
It described the other two apprehended men as village volunteers whose stated objective was to protect their villages against possible intrusion. The committee called for an impartial, evidence-based investigation into the Nongshum incident.
The statement also questioned the response of security forces during the violence on May 31, 2023. It alleged that Arambai Tenggol members and Meitei mobs, backed by the Gorkha Regiment stationed at Chanung, had surrounded the area, killing people, setting houses on fire and destroying property. The allegations could not be independently verified.
The committee further questioned whether comparable security action had been taken over the alleged killing of a villager from P. Moulding in the Leimakhong area and the burning of houses at Patlenjang near TM Kashom in Ukhrul district.
It said Chingdai residents had repeatedly sought security since the ethnic conflict began in May 2023 but had not received adequate protection. According to the committee, the situation had forced residents to abandon their homes, agricultural land and villages.
While acknowledging that security forces had recovered arms, the committee said residents had been compelled to take measures for their own safety amid what it described as a security vacuum.
The statement added that Chingdai residents had consistently respected the buffer zone established by security forces. It appealed to all communities to maintain the arrangement until a broader peace agreement was reached.
Reiterating its demands, the committee sought the unconditional release of all three individuals, the deployment of a battalion of Central security forces under the Kangpokpi SP’s supervision, and the establishment of a grouping centre with adequate relief and rehabilitation facilities for displaced residents.
It said equal protection and fair treatment for all communities were essential to restoring peace and security in Manipur.
