TNL condemns arrest of JTC members
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 31 2026: The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has condemned the arrest of Joint Tribe Council (JTC) leaders on the 30th of July 2026 in Imphal, a day after the declaration of emergency shutdown by the organisation following the attack on Naga Village Guards (NVG) at Bitiang under Noney district.

TNL, in a statement, said that the arrest of JTC leaders who were spearheading a movement for delivery of justice against the brutal killing of six Naga civilians whose dismembered bodies were recovered only on the 10th of June 2026, is totally uncalled for and highly condemnable.

Moreover, Naga villages under Noney and Tamenglong district have come under constant attacks from the Kuki militants under SoO agreement and the narco-terrorists, it said.

In these circumstances, TNL said the leaders of JTC have been undertaking serious efforts in maintaining peace and ensuring security for the people in the region.

Since the beginning of the Kuki-Naga conflict, the general public has been questioning the intention of the Indian security forces whose operational conduct has been far from neutral, it claimed.

However, the armed offensive launched against Naga village guard members at Bitiang on July 29, 2026, which resulted in the killing of a civil guard and injuries to three others, along with the arrest and detention of JTC leaders in Imphal on Thursday, has reinforced the lingering apprehension that the security forces are taking a definite position in favour of Kuki CSOs, militants and narco-terrorists, who have openly admitted their involvement in the abduction and killing of six Liangmai Nagas at Leilon Vaiphei, TNL said.

In this given situation, the TNL questioned the rationale behind the armed attack carried out by the CoBRA unit against the civil volunteers and the subsequent arrest and detention of JTC leaders in Imphal.

The public in the State has been demanding the arrest of the main perpetrators behind the abduction and brutal killing of six Liangmai Nagas, it said and added that the authorities concerned, however, have remained silent on the issue.

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