Questions Buried Beneath the Narrative
The kamjori of the Manipur Police-particularly the Ukhrul Police- is no longer debatable. They have not only forfeited the confidence of the Kuki-Zo people but seem to have long discarded the very pillars of policing: professionalism, neutrality, and integrity.
Their partisan handling of the ongoing communal conflict is hardly surprising anymore. With every escalation, they seem determined to redefine selective policing.
Take Litan Sareikhong Police. They looked the other way as outsiders occupied the vicinity of Litan Sareikhong, violating the first agreement signed between TNL-WC and WCKCSOs-Ukhrul on 14 February 2026. They also stood by while bunkers were erected and used for months to terrorise Mongkot Chepu.
Repeated representations by Kuki-Zo CSOs were met with the familiar refrain: Tangkhul mobs prevented us from acting. Apparently, the writ of the State expires where mob pressure begins.
Then came 19th June 2026. A few agitated youths intercepting vehicles travelling towards Ukhrul in protest against the prolonged and selective economic blockade imposed on the Kuki-Zo people was swiftly rebranded by sections of the media as a “kidnapping.” Overnight, the Officer-in-Charge of Litan Police was hailed as the “Singham-the Supercop of Ukhrul” for rescuing hostages from an incident that never occurred.
The irony deepened when the Manipur Police itself amplified the unverified narrative on its official platform, while the Officer-in-Charge remained content to bask in the glory of a fictional rescue. Correcting misinformation, particularly when it tarnished an entire community and inadvertently cast doubt on the credibility of fellow security agencies, seemingly did not merit his attention. Which brings us to the obvious question: if Ukhrul truly has its own Supercop, why has a conflict within the district persisted for six months?
The latest feather in the Ukhrul Police’s cap is its widely publicised cache of recovered arms. Curiously, the village authorities of Thowai Kuki, Shangkai, and Mongkot Chepu recognise only a fraction of what the Police claim to have recovered. Thowai identifies just one single-barrel gun. Shangkai says no operation took place on 25/07/2026. Mongkot Chepu acknowledges only nine live rounds and a homemade mortar shell. So where did the second single-barrel rifle, the pistol, the ammunition pouch, the additional live rounds, the Pumpi, and the 12-bore rifle come from?
That is a question only the Police can answer.
Whether these recoveries reflect exemplary policing or imaginative accounting, the public will judge them against six months of selective enforcement, official helplessness, and an uninterrupted economic blockade imposed upon the Kuki-Zo minority. Credibility, after all, is earned through consistency-not headlines.
Issued by the Department of Information and Media WCKCSOs-Ukhrul
