The police blamed ‘unknown miscreants’ and denied wrongdoing — but the Army’s admission has exposed a narrative built on evasion, leaving the Kuki-Zo community asking: is this incompetence or a cover-up?
BY PC Bureau
June 22, 2025 — After the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (JKLI) battalion virtually admitted to the killing of 77-year-old Hoikholhing Haokip and agreed to a ₹11 lakh compensation settlement, scrutiny has intensified on the conduct and credibility of the Manipur Police, who were jointly involved in the June 19 operation.
Hoikholhing, chieftess of Langchingmanbi village and a respected Kuki-Zo elder, was fatally shot during a joint search operation by JKLI and Manipur Police, launched following a reported firing incident in nearby Phubala village. While the Army’s rare admission — acknowledging the “commission of the act” and settling under customary tribal law — signals accountability, it directly contradicts the police narrative, which described her death as a tragic crossfire with “unknown armed men.”
According to the Manipur Police’s June 19 statement, a Meitei farmer, Ningthoujam Biren Singh, was shot by unidentified assailants around 3:00 PM while working in his paddy field. This reportedly triggered a search operation across Kuki-majority areas, including Langchingmanbi and Heichanglok. The police claimed the joint team came under attack and retaliated, resulting in the death of a civilian woman — later identified as Hoikholhing — who they described as an “unfortunate casualty.”
But the Army’s agreement to compensate the family, including symbolic items in accordance with Kuki-Zo customary law, amounts to an admission of responsibility. This has further validated the Kuki-Zo community’s allegation that her killing was not collateral damage but a targeted act — and cast fresh doubt on the police version.
Incident Report: Shooting at Phubala and Subsequent Exchange of Fire
Today, at approximately 3:00 PM, one Ningthoujam Biren Singh, a cultivator from Phubala Awang Maning Leikai, was shot in his left arm by an unknown armed miscreant while working in his paddy field at Phubala…
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) June 19, 2025
Community Reaction: Doubt, Distrust, and Demands
Local Kuki-Zo leaders and civil society groups have accused the Manipur Police of consistently distorting facts and shielding perpetrators. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), which organized widespread protests and enforced a district-wide shutdown in Churachandpur, rejected the “crossfire” theory from the outset, labeling it state-sponsored violence.
The Army’s admission and the resulting settlement led the ITLF to lift the shutdown, providing temporary relief to daily life. But tribal leaders continue to stress that compensation is not justice. “The truth must come out. While the Army has accepted its role, the Manipur Police continues to evade responsibility and spin a false narrative,” said an ITLF spokesperson.
This is not the first time the Manipur Police has come under fire for its alleged bias in incidents involving the Kuki-Zo community. Its conduct during the May 3, 2023 ethnic clashes — including its failure to prevent the looting of armories and its perceived complicity in allowing valley-based militant groups to flourish — has deeply eroded its credibility.
Army Unit Owns Up to Kuki Woman’s Death, Agrees to ₹11 Lakh Settlement#Jakli #IndianArmy #JusticeForHoikholhing #ManipurConflict#CustomaryJustice #KukiZoVoices#SecurityForceAccountability https://t.co/e6QVSJt4T4
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) June 21, 2025
Although a case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for Hoikholhing’s death, the police have offered no updates. Meanwhile, they continue to urge citizens not to spread “unverified information” — even as their own narrative remains unverified and now contradicted.
Complicity or Cover-Up?
Security analysts and rights activists argue that the contradictory accounts from the Army and the police reflect either a breakdown in coordination or a deliberate effort to obscure the truth. “If the Army has taken responsibility, why hasn’t the police revised its version or accepted co-responsibility?” asked a senior rights lawyer. “The public deserves transparency — especially in a state already devastated by ethnic violence. You cannot have two official stories from a single operation.”
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As Hoikholhing’s funeral is set to take place at Sehken’s Martyr Cemetery, the pain for her family and community runs deeper than personal loss. For many in Langchingmanbi, the greater tragedy is the truth that remains buried beneath official silence.
Without an independent probe and accountability from all security agencies involved, trust in the system will continue to erode. In a Manipur already simmering with ethnic strife, peace remains fragile — and painfully incomplete.
