IMPHAL, May 13: The Kuki National Liberation Front has alleged that cadres of the designated camp located at Semon Village has been forcibly relocated by the Dogra Regiment.Kuki National Liberation Front (KNLF), which is under the umbrella of Kuki National Organization (KNO) , is located at Semon which comes under Khengjoi sub-division of Chandel district.
It may be mentioned that some cadres of the camp on May 9 had beaten up five labourers and six villagers at Sehao Village while they who were involved in a PMGSY work. Due to the harrasment of the cadres, apprehensive villagers of Sehao had abandoned the village and sought refuge at the TD Block office located at Khangbarol and were guarded by 6th Dogra Regiment.
To take stock of the situation, a media team went to the spot and investigated the matter. In between Tengnoupal to New Somtal, there is a village called Moltuk where the post of the Dogra regiment is located. The media team was detained for at least an hour and inquired on the purpose of visit. The journalists stated that they were coming to cover the incident. However, the media team was told that the villagers, the KNLF cadres along with the police were coming to the camp and the media could meet them there. As they did not arrive, the media was asked to proceed after a wait of one hour. Later, the team reached Kemdo and another team of Dogra camp also stopped them there. The same response of the cadres and police, villagers arriving was told to them.
Later, the cadres of the Semon camp arrived in two shaktimans along with villagers, the arms of the group were put in metal boxes, they were escorted by Chandel SDPO; Modhuchandra Th, OC of Molcham;Inspector TL Kuki. The police officers refrained from making comments to the media as they were not authorized to do so.
One woman villager accompanying the cadres told the media that the KNLF incident occurred due to 2 rogue cadres, it was done when the commander was absent. The outfit had also accepted the fault and tendered an apology to the injured also. Then, the Dogra personnel came and herded the cadres together.
Later, the cadres were taken to Tengnoupal 24 AR batallion headquarter from where they were transported to Chelep designated camp. The camp is occupied KNA, Pakan Revolutionary Army and UMLA. The cadres of the three outfits insisted that the KNLF cannot be put in the camp and threatened violence. Due to the standoff, they were kept at Tengnoupal AR post.
KNLF General Secretary Lalboi Haokip said that the incident which occurred in May 9 was unfortunate and the two erring cadres have been handed over to Dogra Regiment. He said that the order for relocating the cadres were not intimated priorly and carried out at the whims of the Dogra Regiment. The camp was built by the cadres themselves without any assistance from state or central authorities, there was no official intimation to the KNO about relocating the cadres also.
Regarding the incident, leaders of the KNO and KNLF met the Chief Minister today and lodged a complaint that the Dogra Regiment had forcefully taken the cadres and their weapons from the designated camp.