The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) has categorically rejected the statement issued by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) in connection with the gunfire incident reported on January 8, stating that the incident has been misrepresented as an act of intimidation against “innocent villagers.”
In a statement issued by ZUF, the Front said that credible and verified inputs point to the systematic construction of fortified bunkers by Kuki underground groups at village entry points, within residential courtyards, and in surrounding areas. It maintained that such deliberate militarisation contradicts claims that the locations involved were purely civilian or non-combatant zones.
The Front expressed serious concern over alleged actions of cadres of the Kuki National Front (Presidential), including the vandalisation of public infrastructure such as a waiting shed and other properties belonging to Ireng Zeliangrong Inpui Naga village. It further alleged that threats were issued to burn down the village and cause harm to its residents, terming such acts as grave violations of law and order and a direct infringement on indigenous land rights and public safety.
ZUF stated that encroachment on ancestral land through intimidation, coercion, or misrepresentation of indigenous status cannot be justified through propaganda or force. It asserted that the organisation would not remain a mute spectator to what it described as illegal encroachment, organised criminal activities, or the presence of illicit drug networks within its ancestral territory.
Reiterating its stand, the ZUF said it remains committed to protecting the people, land and property of the Zeliangrong Inpui community, adding that its ancestral heritage is inviolable and that no portion of land would be conceded under any circumstances.