KNO and UPF criticized accusations by local leaders against the Kuki-Zo community, calling the attack a pattern of past valley-based assaults.
BY PC Bureau
September 20, 2025: The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples Front (UPF), two umbrella organisations of the Kuki-Zo militant groups, have strongly condemned the deadly attack on an Assam Rifles convoy on September 19 at Nambol in Bishnupur district, about 18 km from Imphal.
The attack left two Assam Rifles personnel dead and five critically injured. While no Valley-Based Insurgency Group (VBIG) has claimed responsibility, the KNO and UPF stated that the pattern of such assaults indicates the likely perpetrators.
In their statement, the organisations highlighted that former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Meitei civil society groups such as COCOMI have previously accused the Kuki-Zo community of “anti-national” and “narco-terrorist” activities. The KNO and UPF denied any involvement, stressing that they have never carried out attacks against the Assam Rifles, who are engaged in counter-insurgency operations and charitable work across the valley and hills. They said the incident exposes what they called a false narrative against the Kuki-Zo community, noting that such assaults are neither incidental nor rare.
In the evening of 19/09/2025, unidentified armed miscreants ambushed personnel of the 33 Assam Rifles by opening fire at their Tata 407 vehicle while it was coming from Imphal side towards Bishnupur at Nambol Sabal Leikai, under Nambol Police Station, Bishnupur District. In the…
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 19, 2025
READ: Will Assam Rifles Ambush Force Centre to Rethink AFSPA in Manipur Valley?
The statement also cited historical records, noting that valley-based insurgent groups and UNLF(P) carried out multiple attacks on Assam Rifles between 1991 and 2009. UNLF(P)’s continued involvement is particularly concerning given that it signed a peace agreement with the Governments of India and Manipur in 2023. Since May 2023, the group, along with state police and the militant organisation Arambai Tenggol, has been reportedly involved in armed ethnic cleansing of Kuki-Zo communities.
The KNO and UPF reiterated their commitment to a peaceful political resolution within the Constitutional framework and called for immediate measures to prevent further violence.
Earlier, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has issued a strong condemnation of the deadly ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Bishnupur district’s Nambol Sabal Leikai area.In its statement, the KZC squarely blamed Meitei militant groups, calling the strike a “cowardly and brutal attack” that “once again exposes the violent, anti-national, and secessionist character of the Meitei militant groups.”
