KIM says two Church workers mutilated and burnt in cross-border assault; alleges Tangkhul civilian complicity, urges India to secure Kamjong border
Edited by Kimbawinu Vaiphei
Songpi, June 11, 2026
The Kuki Inpi Manipur on Wednesday condemned in the strongest possible terms the pre-dawn massacre and arson at Kultuh Kuki village in Kamjong district, carried out on 11 June 2026. KIM held a combined force of Tangkhul NSCN-IM, Eastern Flank cadres, and Myanmar-based Shanni Nationalities Army junta fighters responsible for the attack. The organization described the incident as external aggression that directly threatens India’s sovereignty and the security of Kuki villagers in the border belt.
KIM stated that the attackers entered from across the Indo-Myanmar border, leaving a trail of blood and devastation before retreating into Myanmar along identifiable routes. The group said the Centre’s continued silence and the apparent failure to secure the border amount to a gross dereliction of duty. KIM asserted that the assault was not an internal clash but a planned cross-border operation executed with military coordination and local facilitation.
According to KIM, the attackers mercilessly killed and desecrated two Church workers. The victims were Letminlun Haokip, 34, General Secretary of KBC Circle No. 17 and Head Deacon of Kultuh Local Church, and Lunminthang Haokip, 36, Youth Department General Secretary of KBC Circle No. 17 and Youth Chairman of Kultuh Local Church. Both men were brutally mutilated and their bodies burned, the statement said. Eyewitnesses confirmed the attackers wore blood-stained uniforms.
KIM cited eyewitness testimony that attackers were heard speaking Tangkhul among themselves and Burmese when communicating with SNA junta cadres. The organization further alleged that multiple residents saw Tangkhul local civilians assisting the attackers. These civilians reportedly guided the armed group, provided shelter, or facilitated movement before and after the assault. KIM said these accounts must be investigated immediately and impartially to identify any collaborators.
The organization demanded an urgent, independent, and impartial judicial inquiry into the Kultuh atrocity. KIM called for full witness protection, forensic investigation of the site, and documentation of cross-border entry points used by the attackers. It insisted that the inquiry establish command responsibility and the role of any local networks that enabled the operation.
KIM called on the Government of India and the Government of Manipur to immediately cease all cross-border incursions and secure the Indo-Myanmar border in Kamjong district. The body demanded permanent security outposts in Kuki villages across Kamjong and a strengthened Assam Rifles presence with intensified border patrolling. It said these steps are critical to stop the free movement of cross-border narco-terror networks operating between Myanmar and Manipur.
The statement urged New Delhi to declare NSCN-IM Eastern Flank and any associated Myanmar bases an unlawful terrorist organization. KIM demanded decisive action to dismantle their camps and abrogate any de facto ceasefire arrangements that enable Tangkhul NSCN-IM operations with impunity. It said the 1997 ceasefire has failed to prevent violence against Kuki civilians and instead provided cover for armed incursions.
KIM also asked the Centre to investigate and expose the involvement of Myanmar junta SNA cadres and to raise the violation of international norms with the Government of Myanmar and at appropriate diplomatic forums. It demanded the immediate arrest of all perpetrators and any proven collaborators. The organization sought urgent compensation to the victims’ families and full reconstruction of all houses and property destroyed in Kultuh.
“For too long, the benevolence and restraint of the Kuki people have been met with betrayal and violence,” KIM said. “We have sought peaceful, constructive engagement and cooperated with authorities at every turn, only to be repaid with bloodshed. The Centre’s continued inaction in the face of clear external aggression is unacceptable.” KIM warned that failure to act will leave Kuki people with no option but to protect their lives and communities by other means.
KIM stated that those who ignore these demands at the Centre, at the State, and beyond will bear responsibility for the consequences. The organization called on democratic institutions, human rights organizations, churches, civil society, and the media to stand with the victims and press authorities for swift, transparent action and justice. It reaffirmed solidarity with the bereaved families and displaced residents of Kultuh.
