Kukis told to hand over culprits or face ban
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 27 2025:
Katho Katamnao Long (KKL) and Tangkhul Naga Valley Students' Association (TNVSA) on Friday set a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the immediate identification and handover of the miscreants responsible for the June 26 assault on an Ukhrul-bound Winger passenger vehicle at Mongkot Chepu village.
The ultimatum was signed by Mashungmi Zingkhai and Mathingso Jajo, presidents of KKL and TNVSA respectively, along with general secretaries Wungmayung Sayai and Worngachan Muivah.
According to news agencies, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Litan police station confirmed that the incident took place around 7.15 pm Thursday at Mongkot Chepu village, under the jurisdiction of the police station in Ukhrul district.
The attack left a female passenger and the driver injured.
However, no police case has been registered so far.
The incident reportedly began when two individuals on a two wheeler aggressively overtook the Winger van to which the van driver shouted, "Overtake properly", provoking the bikers to stop the van.
One of them, allegedly a Kuki, assaulted the driver in a fit of rage.
Shortly afterward, a mob gathered, attacked the vehicle, broke its windshield, and injured the driver and passengers.
Meanwhile, in the joint statement, the Tangkhul student bodies condemned in the strongest terms what they called an unwarranted act by a Kuki mob who attacked the Winger vehicle and assaulted its driver and passengers.
A lady passenger and the driver of the vehicle were injured in the incident Asserting that the incident was the latest in a series of continued defiance and frequent harassment of travellers, the student bodies demanded that the miscreants involved in the attack be produced within 24 hours.
"Failure to comply with this ultimatum will result in serious and unbearable consequences," the statement warned, while declaring that they would "completely block the movement of Kukis along the stretch of Imphal-Ukhrul road", and that "no Kuki movement will be allowed in Ukhrul district".
The statement also denounced what it described as "utterly condemnable behaviour" of Mongkot Chepu village chief, who, under the influence of alcohol, allegedly threatened the passengers.
The student organisations pointed out that this is not the first such incident and claimed that the Kuki community residing along the stretch of Ukhrul to Imphal road has repeatedly provoked conflict despite attempts to foster peace, while accusing the Kukis of engaging in "war-mongering" and warned that their consistent provocations are jeopardising the fragile calm.
"Despite our repeated efforts to foster peace in the region, these Kukis have consistently proven that they do not genuinely seek peace and continue to provoke conflict, " the statement said, adding that Tangkhul efforts to live in peace and cordial harmony since the May 3, 2023 violence have often been seen as "weakness and cowardice".
Referring to previous actions by Tangkhul Naga Long, the Tangkhul apex body, the student bodies said that press releases and ultimatums have been issued since 2023, urging that passengers not be disturbed.
However, these efforts along with "numerous meetings and understanding" between the Tangkhul Naga Long and Kuki village chiefs have been "overlooked and discarded" by Kuki villages along the NH-202 stretch (Imphal-Ukhrul), the joint statement added.
Mention may be made that ahead of the recently Concluded 5th State Level Shirui Lily Festival 2025, held from May 20 to 24 in Ukhrul district, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) had issued a public advisory to all concerned that no disturbances should be caused to either conduct of the festival and to the visitors.
The public advisory issued amid threats by one Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers - Eastern Zone (KZVV-EZ) that the Meetei community would not be allowed to pass through Kuki-Zo villages, categorically asked all citizens cutting across communities and within the jurisdictions of TNL to abstain from any kind of unwanted activities that could hamper smooth and free movement of the public during the festival.
"Any sort of nuisance and disturbance caused to the public, in any manner, shall not be tolerated by TNL," cautioned the advisory.
The advisory was followed by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) serving a stern warning to the KZVV-EZ, vowing zero tolerance on any attempt to disrupt the Shirui Lily Festival by targeting a specific community.
Interestingly, the KZW-EZ had extended greetings to the Tangkhul and Naga communities while declaring blanket ban on Meeteis' presence on Kuki-Zo areas, technically meaning prohibition on participation in the festival.
Aftermath of the advisory and warning served, Village Volunteers, Eastern Zone (WEZ), a Kuki-Zo body, had clarified that it has no affiliation or association with the KZW-EZ.
The incident at Mongkot Chepu village adds to the fragile inter-community dynamics in Manipur, where tensions between the Naga and Kuki groups have been simmering amid the larger backdrop of ethnic unrest and territorial anxieties in the state.
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