FNCC denies arson at K. Songlung, says action targeted illegal farmhouses

The Foothills Naga Co-ordination Committee (FNCC) today rejected allegations of arson at K. Songlung village, stating that the incident involved the dismantling and razing of illegal farmhouses linked to poppy cultivation and not the burning of any recognised village.
In a clarification, the FNCC said the action took place near the Waphong Inthan area and involved at least three farmhouses. It noted that the operation was reportedly claimed by the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) as part of its campaign against illicit poppy cultivation and related activities. According to the committee, the structures were being used by individuals engaged in large-scale poppy cultivation with the assistance of hired labourers.
The FNCC dismissed statements issued by certain Kuki civil society organisations, including the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, the Sadar Hills Chiefs’ Association and the Committee on Tribal Unity, describing their claims as false and misleading. It categorically denied that a village named “K. Songlung” or “K. Songlung (II)” had been set ablaze, asserting that no such village exists either on the ground or in official records.
Citing the Manipur (Hill Areas Village Authority) Act, 1956, the committee stated that a village must have at least 20 households to be legally recognised. It further claimed that there is no mention of K. Songlung (II) in the Manipur Gazette and maintained that the site comprised only temporary and rudimentary structures erected for poppy cultivation on ancestral Naga land.
According to the FNCC, the land historically belonged to an Inpui village known as Tamphoimon, which was abandoned during the Kuki rebellion of 1918. The committee said the land subsequently came under the care and jurisdiction of Waphong Inthan Inpui village. It alleged that individuals identified as Kukis entered the area in early 2017, constructed temporary farmhouses and began poppy cultivation on nearby hill slopes, resulting in forest destruction and unlawful claims over the land.
The committee further stated that despite repeated warnings and appeals from the state government and other organisations to halt poppy cultivation and illegal settlement, such activities continued. It maintained that the recent action was directed solely against illegal farmhouses associated with poppy plantations and not against any civilian habitation or recognised village.
While asserting that it does not support the destruction of villages, the FNCC reiterated its opposition to illicit poppy cultivation, describing it as a serious social, moral and security threat. The committee expressed regret over the loss of property but maintained that the affected site was ancestral Inpui land and not a Kuki village known as K. Songlung.