The Kuki human rights body has called on the Centre to review and abrogate its ceasefire agreement with NSCN-IM, while seeking the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
BY PC Bureau
AUGUST 31: The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) on Monday condemned the killing of three civilians in an armed attack on N. Teikhang village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district and called on the Centre to review and abrogate its ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM).
Three Kuki villagers, including two women, were killed and four others injured when armed men attacked the village along the Imphal–Tipaimukh Road corridor, according to police and community sources. Several houses were also reportedly set on fire.
Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police Abhinav said three people were killed and four injured in the firing in the T. Waichong subdivision. The Twilang Area Kuki CSO Coordinating Committee alleged that around 50 armed men entered the village at about 8 am and opened fire on residents.
KOHUR identified the deceased as Tingneichin Lhouvum, 40, wife of Tongpao Lhouvum; Hoineineng Lhoujem, 21, wife of Thanggoulen Lhoujem; and Lamtinthang Lhoujem, 36, son of Seilun Lhoujem.
Manipur: Toll Rises To Three In Attack On Kuki-Zo Village In Kangpokpi https://t.co/f6DwNDKyku #Manipur #Kangpokpi #Teikhang #KukiZo #ManipurViolence #ITRoad
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The injured were identified as Nemneichong Lhoujem, 50; Seilun Lhoujem, 70; Deilhing Haokip, 55; and Kamtinsei Chongloi, 38.
Kuki civil society groups alleged that cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (IM), and the ZUF (K) were involved in the attack. Police, however, have not independently confirmed the identity of the attackers and said the incident was under investigation.
The attack came just four days after four Naga civilians were killed in an ambush along the same road, intensifying fears of retaliatory violence between Naga and Kuki groups in the region.
KOHUR demands action against NSCN-IM
In its statement, KOHUR described the Teikhang attack as part of what it called a continuing pattern of attacks on Kuki-Zo civilians along the Kuki-Naga frontier.
It questioned the continuation of the Centre’s ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM), which has been in place since 1997, arguing that the arrangement had failed to ensure civilian security in areas where the group operates.
KOHUR called for the Centre to review and abrogate the ceasefire and its ground rules as they apply to Kuki-Zo areas of Manipur. It also urged New Delhi not to extend the arrangement further until allegations of NSCN (IM) involvement in attacks on civilians are investigated.
The organisation demanded an independent probe into the Teikhang attack, immediate deployment of security forces along the IT Road, and the arrest and prosecution of those found responsible.
It also sought emergency medical treatment for the injured and relief, compensation and rehabilitation for the families of those killed, wounded and displaced.
KOHUR said the government had a constitutional responsibility to protect civilians regardless of their ethnicity.
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Backs church-led Kuki-Naga dialogue
Alongside its condemnation of the attack, KOHUR appealed for continued efforts to restore relations between the Kuki and Naga communities.
It expressed support for the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum, which convened Kuki and Naga church and civil society leaders in Kohima on May 4 in an effort to promote reconciliation.
KOHUR praised the forum for attempting to act as a neutral religious mediator and endorsed its message that peace and dialogue remained the only way forward.
The organisation said relations between Kukis and Tangkhuls in Ukhrul and Kamjong had been badly strained by violence, misinformation and competing narratives.
The dialogue effort was later overshadowed by the May 13 ambush in which Kuki church leaders returning from reconciliation-related activities were killed.
Rejects ‘nomadic mercenaries’ remarks
KOHUR also reiterated its objection to remarks attributed to Thejao Veihnou, convenor of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos Coordination Committee and president of the Angami Public Organisation.
Veihnou was reported in July as describing the Kuki-Zo as “nomadic in nature” and claiming that they had arrived in the region as mercenaries.
KOHUR rejected the remarks as historically unfounded and offensive, arguing that shifting cultivation and movement between settlements have historically been common among hill communities.
The organisation said such statements were incompatible with efforts to promote reconciliation between Naga and Kuki communities.
The latest violence has added another layer to Manipur’s already complex conflict, which erupted in 2023 primarily between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Naga areas have increasingly been drawn into the cycle of violence amid competing territorial, political and security claims.
With three civilians now dead in Teikhang and four injured, the incident is likely to intensify pressure on security agencies to prevent further attacks along the IT Road and contain the possibility of retaliatory violence.
KOHUR’s MAIN DEAMNDS:
(a) Institute an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the attack on N. Teikhang village, including the alleged involvement of NSCN (IM) and ZUF (K) cadres;
(b) Review and abrogate the Ceasefire Agreement and Ceasefire Ground Rules with the NSCN (IM), insofar as they apply to Manipur, and suspend any further extension pending full accountability for this and previous attacks;
(c) Deploy adequate security personnel to N. Teikhang and neighbouring villages along the IT Road corridor without delay, and ensure the safe evacuation of critically injured victims to hospital;
(d) Identify, arrest and prosecute all those responsible for the attack under the appropriate provisions of law, without institutional delay or political interference; and
(e) Provide adequate relief, compensation and rehabilitation to the bereaved families, the injured and villagers displaced by the attack.
