The Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long has raised pertinent questions to the State Government and to act with immediate urgency if they have any intentions of restoring peace in the State.
The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long is compelled to bring to the attention of the State government of Manipur on pertinent matters that has transpired and remain unabated since the past few days.
1. Attack of Sinakeithei village by Kuki Militants under SoO with the Government of India:
On the 23rd of February 2026, Kuki Militants made clear their intentions of attacking Sinakeithei village by burning Sinakeithei’s Lungter area, a community reserved forest. On the same day, innocent civilians from the village were shot at by the Kuki militants while another farmer from the village was abducted.
Despite the village authority’s repeated appeals to the State Government to bring about order in the village and to deal with the Kuki militants, only a handful of 30 Manipur Rifles personnel and a troop of the 4 Mahar Regiment were deployed there.
On the 19th of March 2026, the Kuki militants re-launched an attack on Sinakeithei and since then, their violence has continued. On the 21st of March, 2026, a mother and son who were out harvesting cabbage from their farm in the village vicinity came under heavy fire from the Kuki militants. They were later rescued by a troop of the 4 Mahar Regiment after enduring hours of mental torture and indiscriminate firing by the Kuki militants.
The people of Sinakeithei have been living in apprehension and fear since the 19th of March and yet, the Kuki militants have been allowed to run free and terrorize innocent civilians as the government has remained completely silent on the matter. This is a complete breakdown of the law and order in the State. The concerned Authority should intervene accordingly to restore order and punish the perpetrators.
2. The Chief Minister’s Meeting with the Kuki-Zo Council:
A press release by the Government of Manipur on the 18th of December 2024 categorically dismissed the existence and legitimacy of an organization called the Kuki-Zo Council in Manipur. Why then, did the Office of the Chief Minister of Manipur request for a meeting with the Chairman of the same group on the 17th of March 2026, and held an official consultation on the 21st of March 2026 at Guwahati? Is the CM openly endorsing an organization that the Government of Manipur, in December 2024, dismissed as an organization operating outside legal and administrative framework
3. Discussing the Tangkhul Naga and Kuki conflict without Tangkhul Naga representation on the table:
The press statement issued by the Kuki-Zo Council in the aftermath of the aforementioned meeting between the CM and the organization states that a number of issues were raised and discussed. One among them was the ongoing conflict between the Tangkhul Nagas and the Kukis in Ukhrul District.
How is it that such a discussion was taken up by Chief Minister of the State without any Tangkhul Naga representation in the talks This is an inconsiderate and a deliberate act on the part of the Chief Minister of the State to undermine the Tangkhul Nagas and a complete betrayal of the democratic framework of the State and the country.
4. Taxation along with National Highway 202 by Kuki Militants:
While the State Government had given verbal assurance to the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) to ensure free and safe passage along the NH-202 – for which the TKS had called off their mass democratic procession – reports of Kuki Militants demanding taxes from vehicles plying along the highway have come to light on the 22nd of March 2026.
Such reports indicate that the State Government has no interest in restoring order or maintaining peace in the State, nor in honoring their promises. What good is this new Government then, if it is just the same old wine in a new bottle?
5. Kuki lies to bring NSCN-IM in the conflict:
While the Kuki CSOs have exhaustively tried to tarnish the name of the NSCN-IM by alleging them of being involved in the ongoing violence, the Working Committee would like to make it crystal clear that these are lies fabricated by the Kukis.
On the contrary, it has been the Kuki militants who have been openly involved in the violence since day one at Litan on 8th February 2026. The Tangkhul Nagas, have, on the other hand been resisting the onslaught from the Kuki militants solely through the volunteers who have stood up to protect our rights and our ancestral lands.
Thus, the Working Committee demands the following points for the State Government to act with immediate urgency if they have any intentions of restoring peace in the State:
1. Immediate intervention at Sinakeithei to stop Kuki militants from terrorizing innocent villagers and to take necessary action against the Kuki militants for violating the SoO agreement.
2. Deployment of ROP along the NH-202 from Litan to Mahadev and flushing out of Kuki Militants who are illegally extorting taxes from vehicles plying the route.
3. Booking of Kuki Social Media users and News Pages who are speaking false narratives and inciting violence online under the nformation Technology Act, 2000
(IT Act) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
4. Clarification on why the Chief Minister initiated and participated in talks with an unrecognized organization and held talks about Tangkhul Naga and Kuki conflict without Tangkhul representation.
