Guwahati: Suspected militants allegedly torched a school and a house in Lhungjang village of Manipur’s Kangpokpi district around 5am on Monday, destroying the school building and student records.The office of the chief of Lhungjang Village accused Naga militants of carrying out the attack and strongly condemned the burning of Lhungjang Primary School and the house of Satminthang Hangshing.“The burning of the school, which is a temple of learning, means destroying children’s education and direct attack at the village,” the village authority said in a statement.It urged the authorities to identify and book those responsible at the earliest.The Kuki Students’ Organisation-Twillang Block (KSO-TB) alleged that Naga village guards led by NSCN-IM cadres were behind the arson.“This act of arson targeting a primary school is not only inhumane and cowardly but also a direct attack on the future of our students and the right to education. Schools must never be made a target under any circumstances,” the student body said.The KSO-TB described the incident as a deliberate attempt to intimidate, harass and displace Kuki villagers in the Lhungjang area and create fear among students. It demanded adequate security for the village and school premises, immediate reconstruction of the school and compensation for the loss of school property.The Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers, Twilang Lhang, also condemned the attack, saying it occurred despite the presence of Indian Reserve Battalion personnel and other security forces in the village.The group alleged that NSCN-IM cadres and Liangmei Village Guards attacked villagers and civilians.“The repeated attacks on Kuki villages and innocent civilians have crossed all limits of tolerance. Such deliberate acts of violence cannot be allowed to continue unchecked or be treated as ordinary incidents.The reported burning of the school, along with the attack on civilians, is a grave and utterly condemnable act,” it said.The allegations could not be independently verified.
