ITLF Kuki Umbrella Body Forced to Respond to Arnab's Expose on Manipur Drone Attacks

New Delhi: In the wake of recent drone bomb attacks in Manipur’s Imphal West district, which resulted in two deaths and three injuries, Kuki apex body Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) was compelled to respond after Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami, questioned foreign involvement in the incident. Goswami's exposé reignited national scrutiny of the ongoing unrest in Manipur.

The ITLF has firmly denied any involvement of foreign entities, including China and the US, in the Kuki-Zo conflict. The organisation released a statement emphasising that the conflict is an ethnic issue between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. 

The body claimed, "The Kuki-Zo conflict has nothing to do with Myanmar, the US, or China. It is a purely ethnic cleansing program of the Meitei against the Kuki-Zo. After driving the Kuki-Zo people away from the Meitei areas, they destroyed all of the Kuki-Zo homes and churches, killing over 190 of them and leaving over 20,000 homeless in the process. The Kuki-Zo have no choice but to defend their territory and lives in response to Meitei’s declaration of war against them."

Addressing the use of drones in the recent attacks, the ITLF said, "Drones are readily available on the market; obtaining them does not require involvement from outside the country. Licypriya Kangujam, a Meitei climate activist, publicly stated on social media that she has procured drones equipped with bomb-dropping capabilities from the US to bomb the Kuki-Zo inhabited areas. Kourunganba, the leader of Arambai Tenggol, further asserted that the drone that was utilized on September 1 was their own."

Earlier on Tuesday morning, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the drone bomb attacks as acts of terrorism. In a statement on X, Singh said, "Dropping bombs on civilian populations and security forces using drones is an act of terrorism, and I condemn such cowardly acts in the strongest terms."

The attacks on September 1 occurred in Koutruk and Senjam Chirang, resulting in two fatalities, including a woman, and injuring 12 others. Singh emphasized the state government’s commitment to combating terrorism and denounced violence and division.

The use of drones in these attacks marks a significant escalation in the conflict, with such technology previously only used for surveillance. An official noted that police and armed forces responded promptly to the Koutruk attack, with a comprehensive security operation involving police, Army, and central forces.

In response to the attacks, the Manipur police have formed a five-member "high-level committee" to investigate the use of drones by militants. The committee, led by Additional DGP (Intelligence) Ashutosh Kumar Sinha, will examine the drones used, gather evidence, and develop strategies to counter such threats. The committee will include representatives from the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, and BSF.