Vaiphei Students' Association says 3 Kuki-Zo injured in Leilon Munlui village have no affiliation with any insurgent groups

The Zillai Vaiphei Students Association Leilon Block has rejected the misleading narratives currently circulating across various media platforms regarding the unprovoked attack on Leilon Munlui village.

In a release issued on Tuesday, Zillai stated that certain media reports have erroneously and maliciously labelled the victims of the violent assault as "militants."

Zillai categorically refuted the "baseless allegations," stating that the three injured individuals—Genlenmang Vaiphei (15), Paogoulal Chongloi (18), and Lunliandam Vaiphei (20)—are entirely innocent, ordinary villagers.

"They maintain absolutely no affiliation, involvement, or ties with any insurgent groups or militant outfits," the release stated.

The association stated that Genlenmang Vaiphei is a civilian breadwinner who supports and lives with his widowed mother, Paogoulal Chongloi is a dedicated athlete associated with the Mohun Bagan football team, and Lunliandam Vaiphei is a vulnerable Internally Displaced Person (IDP).

"At the time of the sudden, unprovoked, and heavily armed assault on their homes, they acted strictly in defence of their families, livestock, and community," Zillai stated.

Furthermore, the association stated that the victims utilised legally possessed and licensed cartridge guns.

According to the release, the firearms were intended strictly for community protection and self-defence against armed intruders.

The association stated that the individuals were not acting as members of any organised militant group, nor were they operating as part of any factional "village volunteer force."

Condemning the malicious labelling of innocent victims, Zillai stated that such dangerous misrepresentations shift accountability away from the actual perpetrators and directly endanger civilian lives in conflict-prone areas.

Zillai urged the general public to reject such false allegations while demanding that all media houses and online platforms immediately correct their records to accurately reflect the truth.

The association also made an earnest and solemn appeal to all stakeholders, community leaders, and civil society organisations across Manipur to halt all forms of armed hostility, exercise the utmost restraint, and actively work for peace, reconciliation, and the restoration of normalcy in Manipur.