Imphal: The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL-WC) banned all security operations in Tangkhul Naga villages on Saturday. The move follows the detention of four villagers during a joint operation on July 14. Authorities ignored a 24-hour deadline to release the men. Security forces remain unmoved.
The detainees are Wungphayo Kasar, 24, A.S. Ninglum, 29, Yaoreingam Lungleng, 24, and Vareiyo Lungleng, 56. All four men reside in Sharkaphung village under Litan Police Station. A joint force including Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, Punjab Regiment, Madras Regiment, and Bihar Regiment apprehended them. Officials charged the group as NSCN-IM cadres under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. They currently sit in judicial custody.
The TNL-WC claims the operation relied on inaccurate intelligence. They argue the alleged armed ambush that triggered the search happened near the Lungshang River, some 55 kilometres away from the Litan area. The committee further alleged that security forces vandalized school property and violated a religious institution during the raid. They demanded legal reviews for the personnel involved.
TNL leaders blamed the July 14 operation for creating a security vacuum that endangered local residents. On July 17, Abner Kasar, 45, was checking fish traps near the border of Sharkaphung and Thawai Kuki village when he encountered armed Kuki militants allegedly performing illegal electro-fishing. The group assaulted Kasar and held him at gunpoint. He eventually escaped their grasp. The organization stated, "The allegations could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from the authorities at the time of filing this report." The group now demands the Manipur Government account for their failure to protect Naga villages.
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