Ksnggui: The Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills, on Wednesday condemned the burning of at least nine houses at Tokpa Naga village in Kangpokpi district, but strongly slammed what it called the swift and partisan response of security forces. The committee said the reaction of the forces in the Tokpa case stood in sharp contrast to their alleged silence after the burning of Kailenjang Kuki village a day earlier. The statement has intensified the debate over selective security action in the district.
According to local sources, unidentified miscreants torched houses at Tokpa Naga village at around 9:30 pm on Tuesday. The village was reportedly already abandoned at the time of the incident. The arson came barely a day after Kailenjang village was attacked on August 10, where several houses including the residence of the village chief were reduced to ashes. The back-to-back incidents have created fresh tension between communities in Kangpokpi.
In response to the Tokpa Naga arson, a joint team of Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force launched a major cordon and search operation at Keithelmanbi Military Colony on Wednesday morning. Security officials said the operation was necessary to apprehend those responsible for the arson and to recover any incriminating materials. The operation, however, triggered a strong reaction from local Kuki women who gathered at the site and questioned the urgency shown by the forces.
The confrontation at Keithelmanbi saw Kuki women accusing the forces of acting in a forceful and selective manner. The women asked why a similar prompt operation was not mounted after the Kailenjang attack. They said if houses could be searched within hours in one case, the same standard should have been applied when Kuki houses were burnt. Their question, if this is not selective action then what is it, quickly spread and became the central slogan of the protest in the town.
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Following the face-off, business establishments in Kangpokpi town downed their shutters in a brief but total shutdown to protest the operation. Traders said the shutdown was voluntary and was meant to highlight the demand for impartial policing. They alleged that security operations have repeatedly targeted Kuki settlements while ignoring complaints from Kuki villages. Police later said the operation was concluded peacefully and additional forces were deployed to prevent any further escalation.
In its official statement, CoTU said it unequivocally condemns the razing of the abandoned Tokpa Naga village and does not support any act of arson against any community. At the same time, the committee said it cannot remain silent on the disparity in security response. It stated that the forces acted swiftly over Tokpa Naga but remained mute spectators after the Kailenjang incident, and demanded that both cases be investigated with equal seriousness and transparency.
The committee also alleged that the Kailenjang attack was carried out by cadres of the NSCN-IM and its alleged proxy, the Zeliang United Front, Kamson faction. It questioned the timing of the attack, noting that it coincided with talks between a state government delegation and the United Naga Council at Senapati. The delegation was led by Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho and Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam and included several legislators from the valley districts.
CoTU further claimed that during the Senapati talks, the UNC had demanded the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations agreement between Kuki armed groups and the Centre and the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki community, as a condition for lifting its inter-district blockade. The committee termed these demands as political pressure tactics aimed at influencing the state government rather than seeking lasting peace. The UNC is yet to issue a detailed response to the allegation.
The committee urged the Centre and the Manipur government to abandon what it described as a policy of selective operations and appeasement and to ensure equal justice for victims of violence from all communities. It alleged that since May 13, 2026, three church leaders and 13 Kuki civilians have been killed and nearly 20 Kuki villages have been razed or uprooted, allegedly by the NSCN-IM and ZUF Kamson. These figures are yet to be independently verified by official agencies.
Police officials said both the Kailenjang and Tokpa Naga arson cases are under investigation and that security has been tightened across Kangpokpi to avoid retaliatory incidents. The officials appealed to all communities to maintain calm and to allow the law to take its course, asserting that action will be taken without bias. However, with CoTU warning that selective enforcement will further erode public confidence in governance, the fragile peace in Kangpokpi remains under severe strain.
