MIYC condemns killing of 4 Naga civilians
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 29 2026: The Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) has condemned the killing of four Naga civilians and the injury of another person in an ambush along the IT Road in Kangpokpi district on August 27 .

The killing of unarmed civilians cannot be justified under any political, ethnic, territorial or military pretext, said the Youth Centre in a statement issued by its president MK Saroj Khan.

MIYC also conveyed its condolences to the bereaved families, stating that the continued loss of civilian lives in Manipur represents not merely a failure of law and order but a grave challenge to the most fundamental principles of humanity and international law.

It added that the latest killings cannot be viewed in complete isolation from the wider pattern of communal violence, displacement, disappearances, abductions and killings that have devastated Manipur in recent years.

MIYC called for a serious and independent investigation into whether the repeated targeting and killing of civilians belonging to particular ethnic communities in Manipur demonstrates patterns that may constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious international crimes.

Saying that Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact signed between Kuki armed groups and the Government cannot become a shield for impunity, it added that SoO process which was intended to reduce violence cannot be allowed to become a mechanism through which armed groups enjoy political recognition while civilians remain exposed to intimidation, displacement, abduction and killing.

MIYC urged the Centre and the Government of Manipur to constitute an independent and credible investigation into the killing of the four civilians and the injury of the survivor and identify and prosecute all perpetrators, commanders and persons responsible, irrespective of ethnicity or organisational affiliation.

It further urged the Government to investigate whether any individuals associated with organisations operating under the SoO framework were involved in the ambush and to provide protection to all vulnerable civilian communities without discrimination.

Moreover, the MIYC demanded that the broader pattern of identity-based killings in Manipur be investigated to determine whether the evidence discloses war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or other serious violations of international law.

Saying that peace cannot be built upon selective justice, collective blame or the normalisation of civilian deaths, it added that no community should be collectively punished for the actions of armed individuals, and no armed organisation should escape accountability if its members are found responsible for crimes against civilians.

The killing of innocent civilians - whether Naga, Meitei, or belonging to any other community must never become an accepted instrument of political conflict.

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