Chandel, July 7: Thadou Students Association – Chandel (TSA-CDL) has condemned the “brutal and inhuman killing” of M Jamkholal Zou by cadres of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), a signatory to the tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Central and State governments.
According to a press release from the Association, M Jamkholal Zou was a captain of United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF), also a SoO signatory group under the banner of United Peoples’ Front.
As a mark of reconciliation, UKLF/UPF and KNO after years of animosity had two community-acknowledged traditional ceremonies at Tengnoupal and Moreh in different occasions in late 2015 in the presence of several Kuki civil organisations, public leaders, including MLAs and MDCs, and a reverend. This initiative and the recently held peace talk at Delhi between the SoO groups and the government was embraced by the community wholeheartedly as a way forward and a great step towards permanent peace and solution to the longstanding political problems faced by the community, said a release from the students body signed by its Information Secretary, Thangjamang Chongloi.
Given that peace has prevailed at least between KNO and UKLF, Jamkholal went to the border town Moreh on Saturday, 2nd of July for some family matter and had not returned since then. As he failed to return home, his family enquired about his whereabouts, and to their utter dismay they were informed that Jamkholal was butchered to death by armed cadres of KNO at Moreh and thrown into Menal river, adjacent to Moreh town. The news was soon widespread within the community and the community’s hope for positive change in the aftermath of KNO-UKLF reconciliation ceremonies dashed to ground, said the release.
What is the use of holding traditional peace and reconciliation ceremonies in the name of God and yet continuing to act against the principle of peace? And what is the use of peace deal just to break it? People of Chandel district have had enough of terror perpetrated on them – ethnic tension, landmines planted in civilian areas, fratricidal killing such as this one and the list goes on. Acts of senseless killing, torture and intimidation will not in any way further the self-proclaimed cause of people’s freedom and protecting their rights to self-determination, but are only self-defeating, added the statement.
Further it also said that the government should act sternly against perpetrators of the crime from top to bottom who may actually bet under government’s guard and bring them to justice as quickly as practicable. To this end, the government should arrest the culprits immediately and take action against the responsible armed organisation.
