Imphal: Operating from its District Headquarters at Monday Market Senapati (Tahamzam), Manipur, the Office of the Naga Women’s Union (NWU) has issued a detailed, high-alert press release. The leadership has officially categorized the Leilon Vaiphei villages and the surrounding Leimakhong stretch as a full-blown "hotspot of terrorism".
The union stated that its reporting relies on direct, first-hand accounts from victims, local village chiefs, and physical site assessments.
According to the NWU, Naga minorities living within these territorial pockets have faced an escalating campaign of hostage-taking, abductions, targeted intimidation, arson, and violent physical assaults. The union emphasizes that these acts are not isolated or accidental; they form a calculated, systematic pattern of aggression designed to suppress, terrorize, and displace minority populations. This ongoing insecurity has severely disrupted standard economic life, and travelers moving through these villages face frequent harassment.
Logged Incidents Involving Naga Minorities
The organization compiled a specific timeline detailing individual incidents that have occurred since the broader Meitei-Kuki conflict erupted on May 23, 2023:
- March 25, 2023: Violence flared at Leilon Vaiphei village when a JCB excavator was wrecked and a two-wheeler belonging to a resident of Konsaram Naga village was intentionally set on fire as an act of intimidation.
- June 18, 2023: Even within a tight security zone at Leimakhong, the residence of a Naga widow was targeted and burned to ashes.
- June 19, 2024: Kuki militants allegedly abducted a Naga woman, who serves as the village chief of Kharam Thadoi (Aimol Naga tribe), along with her son from a location near ZEO Kangpokpi. Both are residents living near the Leilon Vaiphei villages.
- September 1, 2024: A group of more than 40 Kuki militants raided and searched the home of the same woman village chief, though she managed to escape.
- January 7, 2025: A Naga lady was subjected to a brutal physical assault, which the union explicitly characterized as an attempt to murder by Kuki militants and aggressors.
- April 5, 2025: Armed Kuki militants executed a coordinated, unprovoked raid on Konsakhul Naga village. They severely beat the village chief, chairman, secretary, and the local pastor in an effort to terrorize the community.
- January 11, 2026: Escalating structural provocations, Kuki militants defaced monoliths at Ireng Naga village, painting "Kuki land" and "Stay Away" onto them.
- January 12, 2026: Direct threats were delivered by Thangboi Kipgen, commander of the KNF-P, who called the chairman of Ireng village, threatened to burn down the settlement, and challenged him to an open shootout involving civilians.
- February 9, 2026: Under cover of night, aggressors set fire to the private residence of Ab. Ajan in K. Lungwiram.
- May 13, 2026: KNF-P and Kuki militants seized 18 innocent civilian hostages directly from Leilon Vaiphei village.
- May 13, 2026: On that exact same day, a local farmer identified as Mr. Wilson Thanga Chiru of Dolang village was shot dead by Kuki militants operating in that specific range.
- May 31, 2026: While inspecting a local community water pipeline that had been intentionally cut by militants, three men were ambushed. One individual sustained injuries from the attack.
Documented Terror Acts Against Other Communities
The diary compiled by the NWU's Information and Publicity Cell also tracked a series of violent disruptions and disappearances hitting other local ethnic groups in the immediate area:
- July 6, 2023: Police documentation confirmed that two teenagers, Phijam Hemjit (20) and Linthoingambi (17), completely vanished and were last traced somewhere in the Jouzangtek area.
- November 25, 2024: Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, a Project Supervisor with the Military Engineering Services (MES) stationed at the Leimakhong Military Station, disappeared. Joint search operations launched by the Indian Army and local police turned up no leads.
- March 16, 2025: Official police records noted the disappearance of 20-year-old Luwang Mukhesh, whose last known tracking point was also located within the Jouzangtek area.
- May 13, 2026: Three Thadou Baptist religious leaders were killed in an area situated between the Kuki villages of Kotzim and Kotlen. This occurred on the same day as the abduction of the 18 Naga hostages and the murder of Wilson Thanga.
Demands for SoO Abrogation and Government Intervention
The NWU emphasizes that the pattern of missing-persons cases around the Jouzangtek range points back to Leimakhong, requiring deep institutional investigation. The union expressed deep distress over the unresolved fate of the six innocent Naga hostages, stating there is strong reason to believe they have been executed by KNF-P militants who are currently operating under the protection of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact.
An urgent appeal has been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), alongside the Central and State governments, demanding that they clarify the status of the hostages and return them to their families. The NWU warned that a failure to handle this file transparently and immediately will severely threaten what remains of social peace across communities.
The leadership concluded by demanding a full operational shift from the state:
"Considering these barbaric incidents, the Naga Women's Union draw the immediate attention of the state and central governments and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that the prevailing insecurity in the area is largely attributed to Kuki militant groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Government of India. The continued involvement of KNF-P and other such groups in acts of violence warrants the immediate review and abrogation of the SoO arrangement."
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