• Manipur tribal leader Lien Gangte's Canada speech raises khalistani links allegations

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    Manipur tribal leader Lien Gangte's Canada speech raises khalistani links allegations
    The social media posts about NAMTA's activities in Canada have been spotted...

    Digital Desk: A remark made by the head of a Kuki-Zo tribe from Manipur in Canada regarding the ethnic strife back home sparked massive controversy. The event in early August took place at the same Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, where terrorist and Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed in June.

    Lien Gangte, the head of the North American Manipur Tribal Association's (NAMTA) Canada branch, condemned "attacks on minorities in India" and pleaded for "all possible help" from Canada.

    On August 7, NAMTA published a video of the event on Facebook and X. It deleted the video much later when the dispute between India and Canada erupted after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed last week that "Indian government agents" were engaged in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar.

    Speaking on behalf of the Kuki-Zo tribes to whom he belongs, Gangte spoke extensively about the ethnic dispute between the Meiteis who live in the valley and the hill tribes.




    "On May 4, a mob broke into our home and tried to kill my father. He's eighty years old. They ransacked and set fire to our home. My elder brother and his family ran with only the clothes they were wearing. Since May 3, Manipur has been in flames. 200 towns in the valley were leveled, over 7,000 homes were looted and burned, hundreds of churches were burned, and over 120 of our people perished," Mr. Gangte stated.

    "The government did nothing to control the violence. Instead, the rioters were encouraged by the Manipur Police. We were removed from Imphal Valley viciously, so we consider this ethnic cleansing. They set a seven-year-old boy, his mother, and a relative on fire. And they advise that we discuss normalcy and peace," Mr. Gangte claimed.

    He further stated, "... When all this was happening in India, where was Prime Minister Narendra Modi... He went to the US, France, Egypt, except the place that needed his attention the most," the NAMTA Canada leader said. "No minority is safe in India. Whether Muslim, Sikh, Christian. We condemn attacks on minorities in India. We request all possible help from Canada."

    The Times of India reported on Thursday, citing anonymous officials, that India's intelligence agencies are keeping a watch on NAMTA's activities and the Kuki-Zo group's purported connections with Khalistanis.

    First Post stated on Thursday, citing anonymous intelligence sources, that after Mr. Gangte's speech, NAMTA members and followers of the Khalistani terrorist Nijjar also sat together for a meeting. According to it, the trend has disturbed intelligence agencies.

    The social media posts about NAMTA's activities in Canada have been spotted, according to sources in the Manipur government who spoke to a media channel. The NAMTA video has been seen. Although it is concerning, we are convinced that the intelligence services are keeping an eye on them given the circumstances in Manipur. On condition of anonymity, a top officer in the Manipur Home Department stated, "We are now trying hard to bring normalcy and peace."

    According to a Kuki-Zo communications expert who has been following the Manipur problem, the NAMTA film has been exaggerated, and its detractors are creating a conspiracy where there is none. Before the Canada-India dispute over the killing of Nijjar began, no one had any issues with the video, which was released in early August.