Manipur's alleged "staged ambush" irks Kuki-Zo tribal bodies, condemns misleading media reports

In a vile development amid the ongoing unrest in Manipur, the widely reported incident of an ambush on a police team by a group of unidentified armed miscreants on October 12 afternoon somewhere between Lokchao and Khudengthabi along NH-102 turned out to be a "Staged Ambush" allegedly executed by a team of Moreh police led by the Additional Superintendent (Ops) of Tengnoupal District, claims Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal.

Some local media outlets and a few regional and national TV Channel and Newspapers reported that a Police team from Moreh was ambushed by a group of unidentified armed miscreants while returning from Pallel to Moreh, after handing over a group of drug smugglers apprehended by the Assam Rifles, somewhere between Lokchao and Khudengthabi village.

In a statement issued by the Police Control Room, Manipur Police confirmed the attack on the police team on the same day which was quickly aired and published by some of the local media and a few regional and national TV channels and newspapers without verifying the facts.

Surprisingly, the Chairman of the Unified Command, Kuldiep Singh was not aware of the occurrence of such an ambush on a police team, despite the Police Control Room confirming the incident through its statement, responding to a query from a host of reporters saying that he got to know from a news report, nothing more than that.

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When the reporters further asked the Unified Command Chairman about the casualty of security forces in the reported ambush, he responded, "I don't have any idea, a casualty in security forces is not a normal thing and it is not happening every day, you are asking as if something has happened and I don't know".

The relationship between the people of Tengnoupal and the state forces is not that very cordial, particularly after the eruption of Manipur violence as the Kuki-Zo people of Tengnoupal had stiff opposition to deploying state forces in the region and demanded the removal of the state forces from the area.

From the last of July 2023 till the first of August, there was a massive protest in the Kuki-Zo-dominated hill districts of Tengnoupal, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi demanding the removal of state security forces from border town Moreh, and voiced their strong opposition to deploying the state security forces in the region considering that deployment of state forces in Moreh is a "life-threatening" for the Kuki-Zo people.

Amid such stiff opposition to the state security forces and demanding their removal from the region, the alleged "staged ambush" by Moreh police irked the local populace and deepened the distrust of the state forces.

Enraged with the alleged "Staged Ambush" of the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, the Village Authorities of Lokchao and Khudengthabi strongly condemned and demanded the authority concerned to tender an apology customarily at the earliest.

The spokesperson of Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, K. Haokip said that the Kuki-Zo people of Tengnoupal will not take the fake, fabricated, and misleading propaganda and the "Staged Ambush" executed by the Moreh Police led by Tengnoupal Addl. SP(Ops), T.S. Chamba, MPS very lightly.

He said that following the report of an attack on a team of Moreh police, the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal conducted a spot verification meeting with the two village chiefs, the villagers, and people present at the site including the road construction workers of SKV Infra Ltd. who corroborated the fact that not a single gunshot sound was heard on that particular day and time.

He also said that our findings concluded that it was nothing but a "Staged Ambush" with the sole intention and purpose of bringing in more state forces in the district where they [the state forces] are not at all helpful in maintaining peace and law and order.

"If the state forces as always are here to disturb the peaceful environment and create misunderstanding between the central forces and the public, they should be sent back to the valley, we don't need them", K. Haokip added.

He also alleged that the state security forces including the police commandos were an agent of hatred, violence, and fake propagandists, and their withdrawal from the border town Moreh and Tengnoupal district is highly required.

Khudengthabi chief, Pacho Kom said that the Tengnoupal SP along with the Addl. SP (Ops) visited my village after the staged ambush on October 13.

"I told the SP about the fake, fabricated, staged ambush and the misleading information committee by his subordinate officer to which he scolded the Addl.SP in my presence", he added.

The village chief also said that the SP was asked to let the authority concerned tender an apology customarily but it is yet to be performed.

The Village Authorities of Lokchao and Khudengthabi in a joint press statement vehemently denied the alleged attack on the police convoy in their jurisdictional area and clarified that it was rather a "Staged Ambush" to malign the image and reputation of the two villages in particular and the Kuki-Zo community in general.

"If the ambush really occurred, it cannot happen in silence, at least somebody will hear the sound of a gunshot, but nobody, even, the road construction workers of SKV Infra Ltd. present at the site will hear a single gunshot sound", the two Village Authorities stated.

It also made it very clear that the alleged ambush site is situated very close to the village habitational area and such ambush occurring in silence, without being heard by any person nearby, is indeed very shocking.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, and the two village authorities of Lokchao and Khudengthabi also strongly condemned the misleading reports of the media outlets without proper verification of the facts.

The Kuki-Zo tribal bodies stated that even some media houses reported that the security forces managed to recover a few rounds of 303 Rifles, one .32 Pistol, and additional ammunition after a brief exchange of gunfire in the ambush which is more shocking and completely false.

Recovery of arms and ammunition when there was no such ambush is clear evidence of a "Staged Ambush" and it established the fake and fabricated propaganda of the state forces, said the Kuki-Zo tribal body's leaders.

Lambasting the alleged repeated and intentionally misleading reports committed by the media houses, the Kuki-Zo tribal body's leaders of Tengnoupal asked the media outlets to stop once and for all from disseminating false, misleading, and fabricated information to the masses as it could have lethal repercussions in the already volatile situation of the state.

Highlighting the media's vast role and huge responsibilities, the Kuki-Zo tribal bodies urged the media outlets not to misuse their power as they could become a factor in the unceasing violence in the strife-torn Manipur state.a