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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 22: The Sinai Camp of the Kuki National Army (KNA) and the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) groups must be denotified as a designated SoO camp, said Yumnam Joykumar, former Deputy Chief Minister and president of People's Democratic Alliance (PDA).
He said this during his visits to the residences of three civilians killed in the October 19 Kuki militant attack on people collecting firewood on Sunurok Uyok Ching.
The PDA president was accompanied by the party's working president L Seth, vice president Khagokpam Khamba, vice president RK Rameshwar, vice president Urikhinbam Ramesh and several other members during the visits.
The PDA leaders and members expressed solidarity and shared the grief and pain of the bereaved families.
Notably, the Kuki militant attack on October 19 morning killed Arubam Ronil (35), Lairenlakpam Inaoba (57), both of Nongshum and Kshetrimayum Sushil (32) of Uyumpok village, and injured three others.
During the visits, Yumnam Joykumar said that the involvement of Sinai camp cadres in attacks and killing of civilians and the security forces' operation that found fewer cadres and arms at the camp revealed stark violations of the ground rules of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. The camp, therefore, must be denotified as a designated camp and the Government must take appropriate action against the groups concerned.
Joykumar further asserted that the Government had failed to place adequate security in the area after the removal of a Pambei-led UNLF's MPA camp from Nongshum.
The presence of the MPA camp could have prevented the tragic incidents of October 19. The Government should have deployed adequate State of Central forces in the area, he added.
While pointing out security lapses leading to the attack, Joykumar also questioned why the Assam Rifles troops stationed close to the area had failed to act on time and pursue the militants.
As clear evidence has emerged pointing to SoO signatories violating the ground rules, the Government must, with force, take strong actions against the groups concerned and denotify the Sinai camp as a designated SoO camp, Joykumar said.