Imphal, March 12 (IANS) Kwatha Khunou, one of the last Meitei villages on the eastern side of restive Manipur, had remained relatively untouched in the ethnic violence that broke out in the northeastern state over ten months ago but now, two houses there were found to been torched by “unknown attackers”, officials said on Monday.
Nestled along the India-Myanmar border, the tiny hamlet, which comes under the jurisdiction of Moreh police station in Tengnoupal district, has nearly 15 houses with around 40 people.
In the aftermath of the ethnic violence that broke out on May 3 last year, the villagers, fearing attacks from the surrounding tribal villages, left the area for safety, village Chairman Ningthoujam Maniha said on Monday.
He said that many of the villagers of the Kwatha Khunou had taken refuge at the nearby Central forces-guarded Kwatha Khunjao, another Meitei village having a population of little over 200, while others, including patients and students, are staying in Imphal.
“When some villagers, along with the Central forces, returned to Kwatha Khunou on Monday, they witnessed two houses reduced to ashes though other structures remained intact,” Manihar said adding that the incident might have occurred on late Sunday night.
“We don’t know what will happen to other houses and structures in our village in the coming days,” he lamented while urging the government to deploy adequate security there to ensure the displaced villagers return there soon.
The torched houses belong to L. Irabanta, 66, and Wahengbam Budha, 45.
Manihar said normally the Army carried out patrolling and sometimes, halted a night or two there.
“But, we are not sure whether they (Army) were there or not when the incident took place,” he added.
Following the incident, security forces deployed at Moreh town, visited Kwatha Khunou to assess the situation. Superintendent of Police, Special Commando, Th Krishnatombi Singh said: “Kwatha Khunou is an abandoned village as no villagers were seen there during our visit. We saw the remains of two kutcha houses (houses made of mud and straw), and we could not immediately ascertain who torched the houses. A newly constructed government health centre building and other structures remained intact.”
Plans are afoot in the government to set up a security post at Kwatha Khunou to ensure the displaced villagers return, the police officer told the media on Monday.
–IANS
sc/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
