Amidst the escalating conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur, the NSCN-IM has accused the Indian government of indirectly supporting its military wing by utilizing the Kuki National Army – Myanmar (KNA-B) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF). While the NSCN-IM claims to abstain from the conflicts in Manipur to focus on negotiations with the government, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleges the outfit of exacerbating the Meitei-Kuki conflict by backing Meitei rebel factions against Kuki militants. Strongly refuting these allegations, the NSCN-IM has criticized Indian security forces like the Assam Rifles and Para Regiment, accusing them of colluding with Kuki militants.
In a statement, the banned outfit denounced the NIA’s assertions of their involvement in the Meitei-Kuki Zo conflict as false, condemning the collaboration between Indian security forces and Kuki militants as exacerbating tensions along the India-Myanmar border. Reports from local villagers claim witnessing Assam Rifles personnel facilitating the movement of Kuki militants across the border, raising concerns about the security forces’ role in perpetuating the ongoing conflict, according to the NSCN-IM.
The NSCN-IM alleges that the KNA-B enjoys unrestricted access to border crossing points to Myanmar, facilitated by Indian Security Forces, while others are strictly prohibited, portraying a deceitful role of Indian security forces in escalating the conflict rather than seeking a resolution. Meanwhile, a report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva reveals that ethnic violence in Manipur, which commenced on May 3, 2023, has displaced 67,000 people in the state.