TNL cracks down on Kuki CSOs’ “Kangpokpi” push in Ukhrul, Kamjong; warns against ‘provocative’ signboards and tax orders

Special Correspondent
Ukhrul, May 27:
The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of the Tangkhul Nagas, has issued a stern directive to Kuki villages in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts, asking them not to comply with what it termed as “illegal, unconstitutional and provocative” orders allegedly issued by Kuki civil society organisations regarding Kangpokpi district.
In a statement signed by TNL Vice President Eno RS Jollyson, the organisation took serious exception to recent directives reportedly issued by the Working Committee of Kuki CSOs Ukhrul (WCKCSO) and the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Ukhrul District.
According to the TNL, the Kuki organisations had instructed Kuki villages in Ukhrul and Kamjong to pay hill house tax to Kangpokpi and to erect signboards identifying themselves as part of “Kangpokpi District.”
Condemning the move, the TNL described the instructions as “totally irresponsible, unconstitutional and highly provocative,” especially amid the prevailing volatile situation in Manipur.
The Tangkhul body asserted that the ancestral lands and traditional jurisdictions of Ukhrul and Kamjong belong exclusively to the indigenous Tangkhul Naga people, maintaining that their historical ownership predates what it called “fabricated narratives” being imposed by the Kukis.
“No student body, civil organisation or extra-constitutional entity has the authority to alter territorial classifications, issue coercive directives or create parallel administrative structures through intimidation and threats,” the statement asserted.
The TNL further reiterated the long-standing position of the Nagas under the United Naga Council (UNC) opposing the creation of seven new districts in Manipur in December 2016. It maintained that the districts were created without the consent of the Naga people and arbitrarily bifurcated ancestral Naga lands.
As such, the TNL stated that the Nagas do not recognise Kangpokpi as a separate district, but rather as an administrative part of Senapati district.
Calling the directives issued by the Kuki organisations a “direct challenge to the owners of the land,” the TNL warned that such actions would “never be taken lightly.”
“In view of the matter, the TNL hereby directs all Kuki villages within the jurisdiction of Ukhrul and Kamjong to refrain from putting up any provocative signage and not to comply with the order to pay hill house tax to the authority in Kangpokpi,” the statement said.
The organisation further cautioned that any defiance of the directive could escalate tensions in the already fragile situation prevailing in Manipur, where ethnic and territorial disputes continue to remain highly sensitive and contentious issues.