Flush out Kuki militants : TNL
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 22 2026: The Working Committee, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has urged the Government to deploy ROP along NH-202 from Litan to Mahadev and flush out Kuki militants who have been allegedly extorting taxes from vehicles plying on the particular route.

The TNL has also sought immediate intervention of the Govt at (Sanakeithel) Sinakeithei to stop Kuki militants from terrorizing innocent villagers and to take necessary action against the Kuki militants for violating the SoO agreement.

A statement issued by the Working Committee, TNL claimed that Kuki militants made clear their intentions of attacking Sinakeithei village by burning Sinakeithei's Lungter area on February 23, 2026 .

On the same day, innocent civilians from the village were shot at by the Kuki militants while another farmer from the village was abducted.

Despite the village authority's repeated appeals to the State Government to bring about order in the village and to deal with the Kuki militants, only a handful of 30 Manipur Rifles personnel and a small troop of 4 Mahar Regiment were deployed there, it said.

On March 19, 2026, the Kuki militants re-launched an attack on Sinakeithei and since then, the attack has continued.

On March 21, 2026, a mother and son who were out harvesting cabbage from their farm in the village vicinity came under heavy fire from the Kuki militants.

They were later rescued by troops of 4 Mahar Regiment after enduring hours of mental torture and indiscriminate firing by the Kuki militants, it said.

The TNL said that the people of Sinakeithei have been living in apprehension and fear since March 19 and yet, the Kuki militants have been allowed to run free and terrorize innocent civilians as the Government has remained completely silent on the matter.

This is a complete breakdown of the law and order in the State.

The concerned authority should intervene accordingly to restore order and punish the perpetrators, it said.

It also questioned why the Office of the Chief Minister of Manipur requested a meeting with the Chairman of Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) on March 17, 2026, and held an official consultation on March 21, 2026 at Guwahati after the State Government categorically dismissed the existence and legitimacy of the so-called KZC on December 18, 2024 .

Referring to a statement issued by the KZC in the aftermath of the meeting with the CM in which the KZC claimed that a number of issues were raised and discussed including the ongoing conflict between the Tangkhul Nagas and the Kukis in Ukhrul district, the TNL questioned how such a discussion was taken up by the Chief Minister of the State without any Tangkhul Naga representation in the talks.

This is an inconsiderate and a deliberate act on the part of the Chief Minister of the State to undermine the Tangkhul Nagas and a complete betrayal of the democratic framework of the State and the country, it decried.

It has demanded a clarification on why the Chief Minister initiated and participated in talks with an unrecognized organization and held talks about Tangkhul Naga and Kuki conflict without Tangkhul representation.

The TNL said that reports of Kuki Militants demanding taxes from vehicles plying along Imphal-Ukhrul road have come to light.

Contrary to the Kuki CSOs' attempts to tarnish the name of the NSCN-IM by accusing them of being involved in the ongoing violence, it said that it is the Kuki militants who have been openly involved in the violence since day one at Litan on February 8, 2026 .

The Tangkhul Nagas, have, on the other hand been resisting the onslaught from the Kuki militants solely through the volunteers who have stood up to protect their rights and ancestral lands, it asserted The Working Committee, TNL has also demanded booking of Kuki social media users and news pages who are spreading false narratives and inciting violence online under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 .

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