Sinakeithel Village Authority has alleged unprovoked firing by Kuki militants along with armed Kuki volunteers at Sinakeithei village, Ukhrul district in the afternoon of March 7, creating panic among the villagers. According to a press release of Sinakeithel Village Authority, at around 2:50 pm, local farmers of Sinakeithei village were met with a barrage of heavy gunfire with automatic rifles while they were peacefully performing daily fieldworks in their fields. The sudden attack caused instant panic and terror among the farmers upending their daily fieldwork progress. This targeting of civilians specifically farmers engaged in their livelihood, represents a flagrant violation of human rights and a cowardly assault on the foundational peace and economic stability of Sinakeithei.
It may be recalled that such incidents of unprovoked firing, intimidation and armed movements have been occurring repeatedly in recent times, particularly along the western flanks of Sinakeithei Village. These recurring acts have severely disrupted the otherwise peaceful environment of the area and have rendered the law-abiding citizens of Sinakeithei Village into a constant state of fear and insecurity, said the village authority. It is also imperative to acknowledge the public that Kuki miscreants had encroached the land that falls under the jurisdiction of Sinakeithei Village setting fire to the reserved forest area, opening fire and abducting an elderly citizen of Sinakeithei village at gunpoint for motives known only to them on February 23, it alleged.
To aggravate these offenses against the sovereignty of another village, Kuki militants and armed Kuki volunteers have set up droves of bunkers and outposts along the foothills of Lungter mountain range, blatantly infringing the Kuki-Tangkhul boundaries that had been laid in stone and good faith. The constant sighting of surveillance drones over Sinakeithei village is a strong testament to their brazen disregard of privacy as well as an unmistakable intention onto the village of Sinakeithei, it said. The village authority called upon the law enforcement agencies and state authorities to take immediate and decisive actions so as to prevent further escalation.
