The Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul has strongly contradicted the recent statement issued by Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) concerning Kuki-Zo villages under Ukhrul and Kamjong, and term it as regrettable, unwarranted, and steeped in overreach. Its sweeping assertions, coercive undertones, and implied threats stand rejected in unequivocal terms.
The statement issued by Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul states that “at the outset, TNL must recognise a simple reality: no self styled civil organisation has the authority to dictate how legally established villages manage their affairs, administer their lands, remit taxes, or democratically articulate grievances. To presume otherwise is to mistake noise for authority.
“On the question of land ownership, sweeping declarations do not substitute facts. First, land belongs to God Almighty. Within the constitutional framework of India, sovereignty vests in the Government of India, while administrative jurisdiction rests with the State Government. Beyond this, the rightful custodians of village lands are the ancestral village owners and inhabitants whose historical occupation, stewardship, and customary practices affirm their legitimacy. One cannot erase history by merely rewriting the narrative.
“Kuki-Zo villages under Ukhrul and Kamjong are neither recent inventions nor temporary settlements. They are historically established villages with recognised habitation, customary systems, and lawful village administration. As the proverb goes, facts are stubborn things and lived realities cannot be wished away by rhetoric.
“For administrative convenience, while some Kuki-Zo villages presently fall under Ukhrul & Kamjong district, the continued payment of hill house tax unequivocally establishes lawful village existence and landholding rights. Since the burden of taxation is borne by the villagers themselves, it is entirely their prerogative to determine the most accessible and competent authority for administrative convenience, particularly after years of systemic neglect and practical barriers to district access. Taxes are paid to the Government not to TNL. TNL neither bears our burden nor pays our dues; therefore, it has no say in the matter.
“Furthermore, the directives issued by Kuki-Zo leadership bodies to Kuki-Zo villages in pursuance of democratic protest and agitation are internal matters concerning how a people choose to present their grievances before the Government. This is wholly unrelated to TNL. How Kuki-Zo people organise peaceful protest, articulate grievances, or seek administrative remedies is not for TNL to dictate. Charity begins at home; unsolicited interference in matters beyond one’s mandate serves neither peace nor credibility.
“As regards land ownership and competing historical claims, TNL would do well to first acquaint itself with the documented facts and verifiable references presented by COPTAM vide Ref. No. 01/COPTAM-KH/PR/2026 dated 27 May 2026. Historical questions are not settled by proclamations or intimidation, but by evidence.
“Finally, any attempt to threaten Kuki-Zo villages against exercising lawful administrative choices or democratic rights is irresponsible and counterproductive in an already fragile situation. Peaceful coexistence rests upon mutual respect and non-interference not intimidation, unilateral assertions, or attempts to speak over the rights of others” stated the statement issued by the Department of Information and Media, WCKCSOs-Ukhrul.
Moreover, the Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul has declared to extend its full support to the ongoing democratic justice movement and the continued total shutdown called by Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM).
