The Joint Tribal Council (JTC), comprising representatives of the Zeme, Rongmei and Liangmai communities along with other tribal organisations, on Saturday condemned the killing of six Naga individuals whose bodies were recently handed over following their abduction from the Leilon Vaiphei area of Kangpokpi district.
Addressing a press conference at Hotel North AOC, JTC Convenor Merachao Inka stated that six Nagas who had been kidnapped by Kuki militants were later returned as dead bodies. He alleged that the bodies were mutilated to such an extent that identification was difficult.
Describing the killings as gruesome and inhumane, he said the incident had deeply shocked not only the Naga community but also various tribal organisations and valley-based civil society groups. He demanded that all those involved in the abduction and killings be identified and punished according to law.
The leaders alleged that cadres of the Kuki National Front (P) were responsible for the killings. They further claimed that the abduction was ordered by the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village and that members of the village women’s society, along with certain police personnel, were involved in carrying out the kidnapping. Inka further stated that Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen should resign on moral grounds, citing her marital relationship with KNF-P chairman Thangboi Kipgen. Inka alleged that such a crime could not have taken place without the knowledge or approval of the KNF-P leadership.
Among their demands, the organisations called for KNF-P to be declared a terrorist organisation and for the immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups. They also sought adequate compensation for the families of the victims.
The leaders also described Leilon Vaiphei as an illegal settlement, alleging that its inhabitants were originally granted land on lease for 100 years after arriving as refugees in 1920 and now their lease is over. They claimed that instead of coexisting peacefully, the village had become a source of attacks against neighbouring areas, including Konsakhul.