Kohima Village Council has denied allegations of supplying AK-47 rifles to Kuki militants.
DIMAPUR — The Kohima Village Council (KVC) has strongly refuted allegations that Kohima village supplied assault rifles to Kuki militants during the ethnic conflict in Manipur, describing the claim as "false, baseless and malicious."
In a ‘clarification statement’ issued Thursday, the council said the statement became necessary to present the factual position following what it described as a serious allegation made by Rev. A Puni Mao, a senior functionary of the NSCN (IM).
According to the KVC, Rev. Puni allegedly claimed during a meeting held at Hotel Bliss, Chümoukedima, on June 25 that Kohima village had supplied “30 AK-47 rifles to Kuki militants to fight the Nagas of Manipur.”
Rejecting the allegation, the council stated, “The hasty derogatory remark was purely baseless with no authenticity or evidence, but intended to sow division through false propaganda and tarnish the image of Kohima village.”
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The KVC further said that in view of the seriousness of the allegation, it convened a meeting on July 9 at the Kohima Village Council Hall, attended by village council members, elders and representatives of frontal organisations, and invited Rev. Puni to substantiate his claim.
According to the council, Rev. Puni attended the meeting and voluntarily admitted that he had made the allegation without proper deliberation or supporting evidence.
"He admitted his mistake, sought pardon for wrongfully alleging Kohima village without proof, and publicly apologised to the village," the KVC stated.
The council added that the matter was resolved amicably following the apology.