The KCAC accused the NPO of using inflammatory language and attempting to divert attention from alleged attacks on Kuki villages, churches, and civilians in Naga-dominated areas.
BY PC Bureau
June 24, 2026 — Even as ethnic tensions have been simmering dangerously in the Manipur hills for several days, the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) has issued a provocative press release, triggering an immediate and fiery rebuttal from the Kuki Civic Action Committee (KCAC).
The NPO’s statement, released from its Senapati district headquarters on June 24, 2026, directly labels Kuki-linked armed groups as a “Pucca Nomadic, Narco-Terrorist, Refugee Kuki, KNF-P insurgency group,” further inflaming an already volatile situation.
In a counter-statement, the Kuki Civic Action Committee condemned the NPO’s release, describing it as “insensible, hateful, and highly provocative communal propaganda” that lacks “truth… and any moral courage to face the atrocities committed against the Kuki people.”
KCAC’s Strong Rebuttal
The KCAC accused the Naga People’s Organisation of attempting to divert public attention from serious crimes allegedly committed against Kuki civilians.
“The abusive language used against the Kuki people exposes not only deep-rooted prejudice but also the desperate attempt of the NPO to divert public attention from the blood-stained crimes committed by NSCN-IM, ZUF-K, and their armed collaborators against innocent Kuki civilians,” the KCAC stated.
The committee detailed a series of alleged attacks on Kuki villages in Naga-dominated areas, naming Gampal, Haijang, K. Songlung, Litan-Sareikhong, Songphel, Mullam, Lanchah, Khram Vaiphei, Loibol Khullen, and Kultuh as sites of violence.
“For months, Kuki villages have been attacked, burned, displaced, and terrorised… Homes were reduced to ashes, churches were destroyed, civilians were killed, and entire settlements were forced into fear and displacement,” the release said.
The KCAC also highlighted the ongoing economic blockade, calling it “another shameful act of collective punishment.”
“Blocking food, medicines, fuel, and essential commodities from reaching innocent civilians is not democratic agitation; it is economic strangulation. It is a cruel and calculated attempt to starve, isolate, and break the Kuki people,” it added.
The Kuki body warned that such actions reveal the “real face of those who speak of rights while denying the basic right to life and survival to others.”
It further stated that “no amount of abusive words can erase the truth: Kuki civilians have been killed, Kuki villages have been burned, Kuki churches have been destroyed, Kuki families have been displaced, and Kuki areas have been blockaded.”
The statement, issued under the signature of Jacob Lenminthang Thadou, Chief Coordinator of the KCAC’s Media and Public Relations Division, ended with a stern warning:
“The Kuki people have shown restraint for far too long, but restraint must not be mistaken for weakness.”
Naga Organisation’s Demands
In its press release, the Naga People’s Organisation demanded accountability from the CoBRA Unit of the CRPF and other security forces over a military operation conducted on June 21, 2026 in the Leilon Vaiphei area.
“It has been reported that there was an exchange of gunfire and the use of explosives during the operation. It is further informed that nearly 100 insurgency armed cadres belonging to KNF-P, UKNA, and KRA were surrounded by the security forces,” the NPO stated.
The organisation claimed these groups were involved in the “abduction of 18 innocent Naga civilians and the subsequent brutal butchering of six innocent Naga civilians among them.”
It expressed disappointment that, despite the large-scale operation, “no arrests have been reported, nor has the operation produced any visible or meaningful outcome.”
READ: Manipur: No Pardon for Killers, Rapists: Kuki-Zo Women Forum
The NPO also raised suspicions about security forces’ movements toward the “Pucca Nomadic, Narco-Terrorist, Refugee Kuki, KNF-P Ebenezer Camp” on 23 June without making arrests.
The organisation appealed to all Indian security forces “to ensure transparency, accountability, and impartial enforcement of the law” and reminded authorities that the bodies of the six slain Naga civilians “are still lying in the JNIMS mortuary, awaiting justice.”
It further condemned the lathi-charge on peaceful Naga protesters in Namdilong-Kanglatongbi on the morning of 24 June, calling it unjustified.
The NPO warned that if security forces continue “high-handed actions against peaceful protesters,” the Naga people “will be compelled to intensify our democratic agitation, by affecting up to the extent of interrupting the movement of military convoys and military supplies.”
Deepening Crisis and Calls for Calm
The duelling press releases underscore the deep mutual distrust and competing narratives between the Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur.
While both sides claim victimhood and demand justice, the sharp communal tone—particularly the provocative labelling in the NPO statement—has raised fears of further escalation in the hills.
The situation remains tense, with both communities on edge amid accusations of targeted violence, blockades, and heavy-handed security actions.
