Special Correspondent
Ukhrul, November 3:
Three Naga organisations—the United Naga Council (UNC), Naga Women’s Union (NWU) and Naga Students’ Federation (NSF)—have strongly rejected the Committee on Tribal Unity’s (CoTU) demand for the removal of Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Losii Dikho, describing it as unjustified and politically motivated, while raising serious concerns over alleged attacks on Naga villages and civilians.
In separate statements issued between November 1 and 2, the organisations defended Dikho, asserting that he has consistently advocated peace, dialogue and reconciliation among communities. They maintained that targeting a constitutional authority without establishing facts through credible investigation could further aggravate the fragile situation in Manipur.
The NWU termed CoTU’s demand irrelevant to the incident involving the deaths of two Kuki boys and urged restraint, arguing that allegations against a political leader must be supported by evidence rather than conjecture or political pressure. The NSF and UNC also questioned what they described as selective accountability, particularly in connection with alleged links between Kuki militant groups and the family of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
The NSF alleged that Thangboi Kipgen, husband of Nemcha Kipgen, heads the Kuki National Front (KNF-P), and called for scrutiny of the alleged connection. The UNC also referred to the alleged involvement of the KNF-P chief in the killing of six Naga men in the Leilon Vaiphei massacre. These allegations were raised by the organisations in support of their demand for equal standards of political accountability.
The NSF further accused Kuki militant groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) arrangement of repeatedly targeting Naga villages, civilians and ancestral lands. It demanded the immediate abrogation of the SoO agreement, an end to alleged political patronage of armed groups and decisive action by the Central and Manipur governments.
Meanwhile, the UNC challenged the account presented by Kuki organisations regarding the recent violence at Tazeikaphun. It alleged that a Naga village had come under attacks by Kuki armed militants for three consecutive days from October 29 and claimed that three Kuki cadres were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire on October 31. The council rejected allegations implicating the NSCN and ZUF-K, calling for the circumstances of the incident to be established through credible investigation.
On the recovery of two bodies in Senapati district, the UNC reiterated the demand for an impartial, transparent and independent investigation, questioning the handling of the case by the concerned police authorities. It cautioned against premature attribution of responsibility to any community before the facts are established.
The council also condemned the alleged burning of several residential houses belonging to the Maram community at T. Khullen on November 1. According to the UNC, armed individuals allegedly set the houses ablaze around 3.30 pm despite the presence of central security forces and Kangpokpi Police in the vicinity. It demanded the identification and arrest of those responsible, compensation for affected families and accountability over the alleged failure to prevent the destruction.
The three organisations called for restraint, impartial investigations and accountability, maintaining that violence and killings must be condemned irrespective of community. They also cautioned against selective narratives and politically charged allegations, stating that the truth behind the incidents must be established to prevent further deterioration of relations between communities.
