The unfolding Naga-Kuki crisis, which has caused immense suffering, displacement, fear, and uncertainty to the ordinary people of Manipur since the beginning of February 2026, cannot be resolved through political expediency, selective narratives, or coercive pressures. Sustainable peace can only be built upon truth, accountability, and justice.
In this regard, we place the following demands and questions before the Government of India, the Government of Manipur, concerned civil society organisations, and all stakeholders:
1. Impartial investigation into the 13 May ambush and abduction
We demand the immediate constitution of an impartial and time-bound investigation into the circumstances leading to the ambush that killed the 3 Thadou pastors and the abduction of the 18 Naga hostages that included 2 Naga pastors on 13 May. The findings of the investigation must be made public within a clearly specified timeframe. These tragic events have become one of the key triggers for the present Naga-Kuki crisis that continue to fuel suspicion, mistrust, and competing narratives. Truth and accountability are indispensable for a closure.
2. Unconditional release of the 6 Naga hostages
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of the 6 Naga hostages taken by Kuki militants from Leilon Vaiphei Village on 13 May. Their continued captivity has become the central obstacle to restoring normalcy and has prolonged the present impasse affecting the people of Manipur. Everyone from Leilon village accused of complicity in the abduction of innocent Naga hostages must be investigated and brought to justice.
3. Accountability of Kuki Inpi Manipur and Smt. Nemcha Kipgen (Dy. CM)
The denial of knowledge regarding the 6 Naga hostages by Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki people, does not absolve it of moral or political responsibility. The public has a right to know what efforts have been undertaken to ascertain the whereabouts of the 6 Naga hostages and secure their release.
Furthermore, as a responsible member of the government of Manipur, Smt. Nemcha Kipgen, Deputy CM, in whose political turf the tragic 13 May ambush and abduction took place, owes explanation to the people of Manipur, not silence.
4. Hostages not Missing Persons
We seek an explanation from the Government of Manipur as to why the 6 Naga men who were taken away from Leilon Vaiphei village on 13 May, 2026 in the presence of their wives, children, and fellow villagers have been described merely as “missing persons” by the Home Secretary, Government of Manipur in a letter addressed to President of UNC dated 31 May. The deliberate use of this terminology diminishes the gravity of the criminal act, obscures accountability, and diverts public attention from the serious nature of the criminal act.
5. Questions of proxy conflict and demographic invasion
The Government of India must respond to persistent allegations that it is pursuing a dangerous policy of allowing and encouraging a proxy conflict between Kuki militant groups and Naga armed groups. These allegations require clarification. A small and ethnically sensitive state like Manipur cannot afford policies that place innocent civilians in the crossfire of competing armed actors.
The indigenous people of Manipur, cannot be expected to bear the consequences of the Government of India’s failed Act East Policy and its mismanagement of Southeast Asian geopolitical affairs. The unmanned porous international border, flow of drugs and weapons and the demographic invasion into Manipur have been flagged by indigenous natives of Manipur as another proxy conflict. If this indifference to proxy conflict policy continues and a corrective measure is not taken now, the conflict will only escalate and not be manageable soon as many scholars and observers have consistently warned.
6. Ground rules of Suspension of Operations (SoO)
When Kuki individuals accused of taking Naga hostages and indiscriminately opening fire on villagers continue to move freely despite police complaints and public knowledge of the incidents, how can the Government of Manipur expect its citizens to trust its commitment to enforcing the ground rules of the SoO, including rationalisation or relocation of camps from Naga-inhabited areas as stated in the Home Secretary letter to the UNC president?
We reiterate the public demand for credible actions: abrogation of SoO, relocation of SoO camps from Naga ancestral land, not empty assurances which are not worth the paper on which it is written. (see the Home secretary’s 31 May letter).
7. Questions regarding the release of ‘Kuki detainees’
We are advocates of the safe release of the ‘Kuki detainees’. But the release must be reciprocal with the that of the 6 Naga hostages. So then how and why was the decision taken by the United Naga Council (UNC) to facilitate or support the release of Kuki detainees without securing the reciprocal release of the 6 Naga hostages on 1 June, 2026? Was adequate consultation conducted with the affected families and communities? Many perceive this as an act of insensitivity toward the anguish of the hostages’ families and the broader Naga public by the UNC and the government of Manipur.
8. Threat and intimidation will not bring peace
The government’s attempt to use the NIA as a form of intimidation to arrest dissidents and silence legitimate questions and public grievances will only deepen mistrust. (See the Home Secretary’s Letter). Democratic societies are strengthened when citizens receive accountability and justice from the government.
9. Political will required not expanding militarization
Manipur is one of the most militarised zones in the country since India’s independence. Army generals have gone on record stating that political will and imagination are the way to solutions not military. But the government is expanding military footprints everywhere without any tangible result but public distrust over the partisan role it is asked to undertake. The government must not destroy the apolitical tradition, morale and image of the institution that has helped built a secure and safe India.
10. Justice must be seen to be done
Peace cannot be built upon silence, selective accountability, or the suffering of forgotten victims. Calls for peace that ignore justice merely postpone conflict into the future. The path to peace lies in truth, reconciliation, and equality under the law of the land.
We, therefore, reiterate our demands for a transparent investigation, the immediate release of the 6 Naga hostages for a reciprocal hostage exchange of the ‘Kuki detainees’, and truthful accountability from all concerned parties.
- By Media Team | Luangdimai Sentinel - Zeliangrong-Inpui Intellectuals | Head Office: Peren, Haflong, Tamenglong, Longmai, Senapatii | luangdimaisentinel@gmail.com
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