Apex body says security failure led to NSCN-K and ZUF-K faction assault that left one woman and child injured, calls for independent judicial inquiry
By Kimbawinu Vaiphei
Songpi, July 6, 2026: The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has expressed its strongest condemnation and outrage over a violent attack carried out on the evening of July 5, 2026, against residents of Thingkhongjang village under K. Geljang Sub-Division in Kangpokpi District.
In a statement issued from its secretariat in Lamka on July 5, KIM said the attack was perpetrated by armed cadres of the NSCN-Muivah and its proxy faction, ZUF-Kamsom. According to KIM, several civilian homes were deliberately set ablaze and indiscriminate firing left an innocent woman and a young child seriously injured.
KIM described the deliberate targeting of an unarmed civilian settlement as an act of terror and a grave assault on human dignity and the rule of law.
The organization raised serious questions over the conduct and effectiveness of security forces deployed in the area. It noted that the attack occurred despite the presence of the 86th Battalion, F Coy stationed in the vicinity. KIM said it is beyond comprehension how heavily armed militants could infiltrate the area, unleash violence on civilians, torch homes, injure women and children, and withdraw without decisive intervention. The body termed it a monumental security failure that warrants the highest level of scrutiny and accountability.
KIM also referred to repeated public assurances given by the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Kangpokpi District that the security of every village within the district rests under their responsibility. It further recalled a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Manipur under which the District Police were made responsible for the security of innocent villagers, while village volunteers were to cease guarding their villages. KIM said those assurances now stand shattered and questioned how such a heinous attack could take place under the administration entrusted with safeguarding civilian lives.
The apex body has unequivocally demanded immediate accountability from all officers whose negligence or failure of command contributed to the incident. It called for the completion of an independent judicial inquiry and urged a transparent, impartial, and time-bound investigation to establish the facts, identify those responsible for operational failures, and ensure legal and disciplinary action without delay.
KIM further stated that the Government of India and the Government of Manipur must understand that continued failure to protect innocent civilians gravely undermines public confidence in state institutions. It said repeated assurances are meaningless if not matched by decisive action on the ground, and that every instance of inaction only deepens public distrust and emboldens those who seek to terrorize defenseless communities.
The organization made it clear that the people will no longer accept empty promises, administrative silence, or delayed responses while innocent families continue to suffer. It added that justice delayed is justice denied, and that those entrusted with the constitutional duty to protect lives and properties must either fulfill that responsibility or be held fully accountable before the law and before the people.
