The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) has strongly rejected allegations made by the Joint Tribes Council (JTC) and several Naga civil organisations, terming them “false, politically motivated and malicious,” while claiming that the recent armed confrontation at Bitiang village was the result of an ambush by cadres of the NSCN-IM.
In a statement issued by its Secretary, Information and Publicity, L.S. Gangmei, the outfit said it had taken note of the JTC’s July 23 declaration of a non-cooperation movement against the ZUF and similar accusations levelled by the Western Command Naga Village Guard, Rongmei Naga Luphwam Manipur, the Coordination Committee Longmai Area and the Rongmei Naga Council, Manipur.
The ZUF denied allegations that it was working in collusion with Kuki armed groups or Indian security forces, describing the accusations as baseless and part of a political campaign to malign the organisation. It maintained that since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict in Manipur, it had been working to promote peace and peaceful coexistence while also demanding justice for the killing of six Naga civilians from Khonsakhul village.
Referring to the incident at Bitiang village, the outfit claimed that its patrol team came under attack from NSCN-IM cadres while carrying out routine patrols in Zeliangrong areas and retaliated in self-defence. It alleged that the JTC had prematurely launched its non-cooperation movement without verifying the facts, thereby aggravating public tension.
The ZUF further accused the NSCN-IM of attempting to portray the July 29 encounter as an attack on Naga Village Guards. It claimed that the deceased, identified by other organisations as a Village Guard, was in fact an NSCN-IM cadre holding the rank of Second Lieutenant and alleged that the outfit had subsequently portrayed him as a Village Guard to conceal its involvement.
The outfit also alleged that the Naga Village Guard was being used by the NSCN-IM during its operations and warned that continued dissemination of what it described as “false propaganda” could further destabilise the situation in the region.
The ZUF cautioned the JTC and supporting civil society organisations against mobilising public protests based on what it called misinformation, holding them responsible for any escalation of violence. It also appealed to the Zeliangrong community not to be influenced by what it described as politically motivated campaigns and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the welfare, security and political aspirations of the Zeliangrong people.