CoTU-led shutdown grips district after 9 June attack; protesters allege security failure near Makui, seek probe into 13 Kuki deaths
Edited by: Nengcha Haokip
Kanggui, June 22, 2026
The coffin of Haokhogin Lhouvum was placed on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi town on Thursday, 11 June, as hundreds of Kuki mourners staged a protest demanding justice for the villager killed on 9 June in Lasan, Tamenglong district. The demonstration, led by the Committee on Tribal Unity and Kuki civil society organisations, coincided with a total shutdown across Kangpokpi district that began at midnight on 10 June. The shutdown halted schools, businesses, and traffic, with only emergency services and security personnel allowed to operate.
Lhouvum’s body was brought from the district hospital morgue to the heart of Kangpokpi, where CoTU organised a sit-in and condolence programme lasting several hours. Participants from across Sadar Hills carried placards condemning attacks on Kuki settlements and shouted slogans calling for accountability, stronger security, and urgent government action. Protesters said the public display of Lhouvum’s coffin was meant to highlight the human cost of violence in vulnerable hill villages.
Kuki CSOs Kangpokpi spokesperson Janghaolun Haokip addressed the gathering and questioned why security forces stationed at nearby Makui village failed to prevent the broad daylight assault on Lasan. He alleged that the location of the deployment raises doubts about whether forces are positioned to protect only one particular village while Kuki settlements nearby remain exposed. Haokip called the incident deeply disturbing and demanded answers from security agencies.
The organisations accused the state and central governments of failing to safeguard civilians amid what they described as continuous targeted violence. They said at least 13 Kuki civilians, including three pastors, have been killed in recent months. Kuki CSOs also stated that 11 Kuki villages have been set ablaze during the same period, including Kultuh village in Kamjong district where two villagers were allegedly killed in an early morning attack.
Kuki civil bodies alleged that Tangkhul militant groups were involved in the series of attacks on Kuki villages. They demanded a thorough investigation into each incident to identify perpetrators and dismantle cross-border and inter-district networks. Protesters argued that the lack of arrests has emboldened armed groups and worsened the sense of insecurity among Kuki communities.
The CSOs submitted four demands to the government. They sought immediate deployment of security forces at Lasan and Thenjang villages, security coverage for all identified vulnerable Kuki areas, a time-bound judicial inquiry into the killings of 13 civilians, and the arrest of the Makui village chief, village authority members, and village guards linked to the Lasan incident.
Haokip said democratic protests will persist until concrete steps are taken to address security gaps and ensure accountability for Lhouvum’s death and other killings. He stressed that the community has shown restraint but will not remain silent as civilian lives continue to be lost. CoTU described the coffin protest as a peaceful demand for constitutional protection of life and dignity.
The programme ended Thursday afternoon amid tension in Kangpokpi district. Community leaders warned that democratic agitations will intensify if the four-point charter is ignored. They appealed to human rights groups, churches, and civil society to support the victims and push authorities for transparent justice.
