In a statement dated September 8, 2026, issued from its “Government of KUKI-GAM General Headquarter”, UKNA cited alleged drone-bombing incidents on June 16, 2026, and November 4, 2025. The outfit accused security forces of abandoning political dialogue in favour of disproportionate and unaccountable military action.
UKNA said it had never declared war on central forces and claimed to comprise “bona fide Indian citizens” committed to a political settlement within the Constitution through dialogue and democratic engagement.
June operation at centre of claim
The June 16 incident is at the heart of the latest accusation.
According to official accounts, a joint Army-Assam Rifles team operating in the Henglep area of Churachandpur district acted on intelligence about a UKNA hideout. Security forces said they came under fire and, in the ensuing encounter, one armed cadre was killed. An AK-47 and other warlike stores were reportedly recovered, while bunkers were destroyed.
Authorities subsequently identified the deceased as a UKNA member.
But village authorities, Kuki civil society groups and a local BJP MLA disputed the security version. They identified the dead man as Lenminsang Haokip, whom they said was an unarmed civilian who was ill and at home.
They alleged that drones and bombs or mortar fire were used around the village at about 2 pm, triggering panic among residents. They further alleged that security personnel pursued Haokip and shot him at close range before dressing his body in combat clothing to portray him as a militant.
UKNA has now gone further, categorically denying that any of its members was killed in the operation and accusing security agencies of making an unsubstantiated claim to publicise an operational success or secure rewards.
Earlier operation also cited
UKNA also referred to an operation on November 4, 2025, when security sources reported that four of its cadres were killed and others arrested during an encounter at Khanpi village under Henglep.
Security forces said militants opened fire on an Army column and that weapons including an AK-56 and M4A1 were recovered.
The latest UKNA statement places the two incidents together as evidence of what it calls a pattern of excessive force.
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A further operation in the same Henglep belt on September 2, 2026, was reported by the Army and Assam Rifles to have killed two UKNA cadres and injured two others. Security forces said they recovered a large cache of weapons, including rifles, a 40 mm launcher, grenades and hundreds of rounds, and destroyed the camp.
UKNA is not a signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements covering several other Kuki-Zo armed groups and has been targeted in security operations by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Drone warfare adds a new dimension
The accusation is significant because weaponised drones have already emerged as a feature of the Manipur conflict.
Militant groups have been accused of using commercially available drones to drop explosives, while security forces have increasingly deployed drones for surveillance and counter-insurgency operations.
In September 2024, suspected Kuki militants were accused of using drones to attack areas including Koutruk in Imphal West, with reports of bombs and RPGs being used. The incident marked a major escalation in the conflict. The Army, however, said at the time that it had found no evidence confirming that the reported explosions were caused by drone-dropped bombs.
UKNA’s latest statement effectively turns that narrative around, accusing the State of using drone warfare against an armed Kuki outfit.
The group argues that its possession of arms should not automatically be treated as abandonment of a political solution or as justification for replacing negotiations with military action.
A new flashpoint in Manipur’s information war
The allegations come against the backdrop of a conflict that has continued for more than three years since ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023.
Multiple armed formations have operated during the conflict, including SoO signatories, non-SoO outfits such as UKNA and valley-based insurgent groups. Security forces have repeatedly conducted operations in the Churachandpur-Henglep belt, particularly in areas close to the Myanmar border.
UKNA says it is pursuing a constitutional political settlement for “Kuki-Gam” while maintaining its armed structure. It has accused the government of lacking commitment to dialogue and of exaggerating operational claims.
There is, however, no independent verification so far of UKNA’s specific allegation that central forces dropped bombs from drones during the June 16 or November 4 operations. Security forces have described the June action as an intelligence-based encounter in which militants opened fire.
The competing accounts leave the alleged drone attacks as a potentially explosive new flashpoint in Manipur’s continuing information war—one in which both armed groups and security forces increasingly accuse each other of crossing the line between counter-insurgency and excessive force.
UKNA’s statement ends by accusing national-security institutions of manufacturing claims for publicity and portraying such assertions as “childish” attempts to create an impression of success.
