Imphal, April 7: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum has issued a clarification rejecting allegations that the Kuki-Zo community was involved in the recent deadly incident at Tronglaobi in Manipur’s Bishnupur district.
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| Scene from inside the residence struck by a bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai, Bishnupur district. |
In a press statement released on Tuesday, the ITLF described the claims linking the Kuki-Zo community to the attack as “baseless and unsupported by credible evidence.” The organisation urged authorities and the public not to attribute responsibility without a proper investigation.
The forum stressed that any incident affecting the Meitei community should not automatically be blamed on the Kuki-Zo people, warning that such assumptions could deepen misunderstandings and escalate tensions in the already volatile region.
According to the ITLF, buffer zones separating Kuki-Zo and Meitei areas are heavily guarded by security forces, making it extremely difficult for individuals to cross undetected to carry out attacks or plant explosives in Meitei villages. It further stated that Gelmol, the nearest Kuki village to Tronglaobi, is currently abandoned and occupied by CRPF personnel, which it said further undermines the allegations.
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The organisation also claimed that throughout the ongoing ethnic conflict, the Kuki-Zo community has respected the buffer zones and that past incidents occurred only when these zones were breached from the other side.
The ITLF appealed to authorities and the public to rely on verified facts and avoid blaming the Kuki-Zo community for every incident involving the Meitei population.
The statement was issued by the Department of Information and Publicity of the ITLF on Tuesday.
