The killings have exposed a striking contrast in language, with Kuki-Zo bodies naming alleged perpetrators while the community’s legislators have stopped short of doing so.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi: Kuki-Zo civil society organisations have blamed the NSCN-IM and ZUF (K) for the September 13 killings of four civilians in twin attacks at L. Tollen in Tamenglong and Longpi in Noney. But four Kuki-Zo legislators, including Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, have stopped short of naming any organisation, referring instead to “unidentified” or “armed” militants.
Police have so far described the attackers only as unidentified armed men, and their identity has not been officially established.
The victims were identified as Seineh Singsit and his wife Lhingzangai Singsit of L. Tollen, and Thangvel (Thangroel/Roel) Gangte and Julie Gangte of Longpi. The Singsits’ six-year-old son, Henmisang, was critically injured. Seineh later died while being taken for treatment. The attacks took place on Sahnit Ni, observed as Kuki Black Day.
KZC accuses Naga leaders of double standards
The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), in its September 14 statement, went beyond condemning the two attacks and accused Naga political and civil society leaders in Manipur of “double standards”.
The council said Naga leaders had “loudly demand[ed] justice for six Naga deaths” while remaining silent over what it described as 22 Kuki-Zo civilians reportedly killed by Naga armed groups since the beginning of 2026, including women and children.
“Such selective outrage is not justice,” the KZC said, arguing that claims of victimhood should not be used to obscure the suffering of others.
READ: Manipur: Kuki-Zo Killings Trigger Demand for NIA Probe Amid Shutdown Threat
It also criticised what it called the “apparent unwillingness” of Naga political and civil society leaders to pursue meaningful reconciliation and dialogue to end Naga-Kuki-Zo violence.
On the September 13 attacks, the KZC said it was “deeply concerned by reports attributing the attacks to NSCN-IM cadres operating through or alongside ZUF-K and Naga Village Guards”.
It called on New Delhi to “act decisively”, saying the NSCN-IM should not be allowed to operate with impunity in Manipur, particularly in the absence of a ceasefire agreement covering the state.
The council warned that continued armed-group activity threatened civilians and risked pushing Manipur towards another full-scale conflict.
“The Kuki-Zo people have endured enough bloodshed,” the council said, calling for equal justice, universal accountability and protection of civilians without discrimination.
The allegations made by the KZC have not been independently established. Police have not publicly identified those responsible for the shootings.
Women’s forum directly names NSCN-IM and ZUF (K)
The KZWFD strongly condemns the brutal and cowardly attack allegedly by the 𝗡𝗦𝗖𝗡 (𝗜𝗠) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗭𝗨𝗙 (𝗞) 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟. 𝗧𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗿,@HMOIndia @PMOIndia @UN_Women
@PIBHomeAffairs pic.twitter.com/Cql8YAkZz6— KukiZoWFD&NCR (@KukiZoWF) September 13, 2026
The Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum, Delhi & NCR (KZWFD), was more categorical in its attribution, naming the NSCN (IM) and ZUF (K) in the opening paragraph of its September 13 statement, specifically in relation to the pre-dawn attack at L. Tollen.
The forum said it “vehemently condemn[ed]” what it described as a “brutal and cowardly attack allegedly carried out by the NSCN (IM) and ZUF (K)” on the village at around 4 am on September 13.
The forum connected the attack to the Kuki community’s memories of the 1993 ethnic violence, saying that while it continued to bear the scars of what it described as the “1993 ethnic persecution of the Kuki people”, the latest attack had “once again reopened our old wounds”.
It identified Lhingzangai Singsit, wife of Seineh Singsit and a mother of five, as having been killed in the attack. Seineh and their youngest son, Henmisang, were seriously injured and were initially reported to be in critical condition. Seineh subsequently died while being taken for treatment.
The forum said the incident was “not an isolated incident”, alleging that such attacks represented a deliberate and systematic attempt to terrorise and forcibly displace Kuki-Zo villagers from their ancestral lands in furtherance of what it called the “Greater Nagalim agenda”.
It described the Tollen attack as “a blatant act of terrorism against innocent civilians and a grave violation of human rights”.
The forum demanded the immediate deployment of adequate Central Armed Police Forces in L. Tollen and surrounding Kuki-Zo villages. It also sought registration of an FIR by Manipur Police and a “prompt, independent and transparent investigation”.
Its third demand was immediate medical assistance, including evacuation and the best possible treatment for the injured.
The forum appealed to the Union government, the Manipur government, the National Human Rights Commission and other authorities to intervene immediately and take what it called decisive action before more lives were lost.
It said it would not be “silenced or cowed down by acts of terror”.
The allegations against NSCN-IM and ZUF (K) have not been independently established, and police have not publicly identified the attackers.
Four MLAs condemn killings but avoid naming a group
The language used by the four Kuki-Zo legislators was notably more cautious.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the “violent attacks in which innocent and defenceless civilians, including women and children, were targeted”. She offered condolences to the victims’ families, prayed for Henmisang’s recovery and called for the perpetrators to be identified through lawful action.
She also appealed for restraint, saying the law must be allowed to take its course.
She did not name the NSCN-IM or ZUF (K).
Saitu MLA Haokholet Kipgen described the attacks as “brutal and senseless” and said they had been carried out by “unidentified militants”. He called the targeting of women and children a “heinous, cowardly act of terror”.
Saikul MLA Kimneo Hangshing described the killings as “barbaric and cold-blooded” and said they had been perpetrated by armed militants. She said no cause or grievance could justify the killing of innocent civilians.
Henglep MLA Letzamang Haokip described the deaths as a grave tragedy and called on security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible.
None of the four legislators publicly named the NSCN-IM.
A political contrast with Naga legislators
The difference is politically significant because Naga legislators have in recent months been more direct in naming Kuki armed groups when responding to attacks on Naga civilians.
Nine Naga legislators, led by Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking action against Nemcha Kipgen. They alleged that her office was “colluding” with a Kuki militant group led by her husband, Thangboi Kipgen of the KNF-P, in connection with the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians whose bodies were recovered in June.
The legislators sought action against Kuki-Zo militant leaders and threatened to withdraw support from the government. Dikho has separately said Naga MLAs may have to leave the ministry “for peace” if violence against Nagas continues and has boycotted Cabinet meetings, citing what he described as a “denial of justice”.
Naga People’s Front legislator Awangbou Newmai condemned the September 13 killings as “cowardly”, but did not publicly make the specific attribution made by the KZC and Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum.
NIA demand and shutdown threat
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has described the attacks on civilians as cowardly and unacceptable, while police have said a probe is under way.
Kuki village bodies and the Kuki Inpi JTN have demanded an impartial investigation, including a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and warned of shutdowns if action is delayed.
The September 13 attacks have therefore produced two distinct levels of response within the Kuki-Zo camp: civil society organisations have named alleged perpetrators, while the community’s four sitting legislators have confined themselves to condemning “unidentified” or “armed” militants.
Who fired the shots — and whether the allegations against NSCN-IM and ZUF (K) are supported by evidence — remains to be established by the investigation.
