The Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul (WCKCSOs-Ukhrul) to continue the shutdown of National Highway 202 till midnight of 15th May, 2026, as directed by KIM, regardless of threats, intimidation, or theatrical warnings from self-appointed custodians of highways, morality, and humanity from any quarter.
The statement of Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul stated that “it is amusing to discover that NH-202, which ordinary citizens believed to be public infrastructure owned by the Government of India, has suddenly become the “exclusive property” of whichever self-appointed ethnic gatekeeper issues the loudest press release. Peaceful shutdowns and democratic expressions of dissent do not require certification from any civil body claiming monopoly over highways, ancestral lands, or morality itself.
“Equally ironic is the attempt by TNFO – an organisation widely perceived for its hostility and provocative rhetoric toward the Kuki-Zo community in Ukhrul and Kamjong to lecture others on Christianity, peace, and humanity while issuing statements filled with threats, communal insinuations, and “tooth for a tooth” warnings.
“Further, the sudden concern of the so-called “Naga Village Guard” over NH-202 being a humanitarian lifeline would be almost touching if the Kuki-Zo people of Ukhrul and Kamjong had not spent months enduring restrictions, intimidation, and obstruction of essential supplies on this very highway under the patronage of Tangkhul CSOs and their allied actors. It is remarkable how the language of “constitutional authority,” “free movement,” and “humanitarian concern” only appears when Kuki-Zos democratically express grief and dissent over the brutal murder of pastors who dedicated their lives to faith and service.
“Peaceful shutdowns and public demonstrations are legitimate democratic tools used across India to draw the attention of governments, especially when communities are mourning and demanding justice. Instead of allowing grieving families and the community dignity and space, TNFO and its proxy enforcers masquerading as “village guards” seem more interested in issuing threats, flexing territorial claims, and policing who may mourn and how.
“It must be reiterated that the shutdown has been declared solely to mourn the three pastors brutally killed by ZUF-Kamson, a proxy group of NSCN(IM). Notably, Pastor V. Sitlhou – among the slain pastors – was part of the Thadou Kuki-Zo church delegation representing the Kukis of Ukhrul and Kamjong at the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum peace initiative in Kohima on 4th May, 2026, where TNL president Mr. Sword Vashum reportedly refused to endorse the proposed ceasefire agreement.
“At a time when the Kuki-Zo community is mourning the horrific killing of respected religious leaders, the last thing anyone needs is sanctimonious posturing from groups more interested in inflaming tensions than comforting grieving families. Christianity is not inherited through press statements, territorial claims, or ethnic chest-thumping; it is reflected through humility, truth, compassion, and peace values conspicuously absent from TNFO’s and NVG’s rhetoric.
“Condolences ring hollow when immediately followed by intimidation, selective outrage, and attempts to silence an anguished community. Humanity is not proven through dramatic press releases or warnings about “serious consequences”.
“Therefore, the WCKCSOs-Ukhrul shall continue the shutdown till midnight of 15th May, 2026 as directed by KIM, regardless of threats, intimidation, or theatrical warnings from self-appointed custodians of highways, morality, and humanity from any quarter” stated the statement issued by the Department of Information and Media WCKCSOs-Ukhrul.
