Songpi: The Kuki Women Organisation For Human Rights (KWOHR) has announced a Statewide Mass Protest for Justice on Wednesday, 23rd September 2026, demanding accountability for the continued killing of innocent Kuki women, children and civilians in Manipur. The protest is being organised under the slogan “Stop The Killing — Demand Truth, Justice & Accountability” and will be held across all Kuki-inhabited areas including Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Churachandpur and Ukhrul districts through peaceful mass rallies, sit-in protests and other democratic forms of expression.
According to the press statement issued by KWOHR on 21st September 2026, from 11th March 2026 till date, 27 victims, including two unborn children, have reportedly lost their lives in violent incidents which the organisation attributes to NSCN-IM and other Naga militant groups. The organisation stated that the systematic targeting and killing of innocent civilians, particularly pregnant women, elderly women and children, is condemned in the strongest possible terms and reflects a pattern of violence that has gone unaddressed by the authorities.
The victims who are being remembered in this protest include some of the most brutal incidents reported in recent months. On 5th June 2026 at Loibol Khollen, Kangpokpi District, Mrs. Tinmary Haokip, a seven-month pregnant mother carrying an unborn child, was reportedly mercilessly killed along with her husband Mr. Letkhongam Haokip and her brother-in-law Mr. Jangminlal Haokip. The killing of a pregnant woman in her advanced stage of pregnancy has sparked widespread outrage among women’s groups across the state.
Another incident that has triggered fresh anger is the killing on 31st August 2026 at N. Teikhang Village where Mrs. Tingneichin Lhouvum and Mrs. Hoinengneng Lhoujem were reportedly killed along with Mr. Lamtinmang Lhoujem. According to KWOHR, the victims were unarmed civilians with no connection to any armed conflict and their deaths have left families devastated. The organisation said these killings are part of a continuing series of attacks on Kuki villages in interior areas where security presence is minimal.
The most recent incidents that led to the call for statewide protest occurred on 13th September 2026. At L. Tollen Village, Mrs. Lhingzangai Singsit was reportedly killed along with her husband Mr. Seineh Singsit. Their five-year-old son, Henmisang, was also shot and is reported to be in critical condition at a hospital. On the same day, Mrs. Julie Singson, a pregnant mother carrying an unborn child of approximately two months, was reportedly shot dead along with Mr. Thangvel alias Roel Gangte. Ms. Nei Esther Gangte, who was also shot on the same day, later succumbed to her injuries on 20th September 2026 at a hospital.
KWOHR in its statement said that the killing of two pregnant mothers along with their unborn children is an inhumane act that amounts to a grave violation of human rights and the rights of women and children. The organisation stated that Kuki women have been at the receiving end of violence for months, with 8 Kuki women killed in 2026 alone. The organisation also alleged that more than 1,100 Kuki civilians have been killed since 1990 by NSCN-IM and other Naga armed groups and yet not a single FIR has resulted in arrest and prosecution till today.
The organisation further questioned the silence of the state government and central agencies over the continued violence. It stated that while the Manipur crisis since May 2023 between Meitei and Kuki communities has drawn national attention, the fresh wave of violence between Naga armed groups and Kuki civilians since February 2026 has created a new humanitarian crisis in the hill districts. According to Human Rights Watch and local reports, at least 34 people have been killed in this new cycle of violence with hundreds of houses burnt, highways blocked and villagers displaced.
As part of the statewide protest, KWOHR has appealed to all sections of the public, including church bodies, student organisations, village authorities and civil society groups to join the peaceful protest. The protest will be strictly non-violent and democratic, with participants carrying placards demanding truth, justice and accountability. The organisation has also urged mothers and women’s groups to come out in large numbers to show solidarity with the families of the victims whose bodies are reportedly still kept in mortuaries awaiting justice.
The KWOHR has placed three key demands before the Government of India and the Government of Manipur — immediate registration of FIRs and arrest of perpetrators involved in the killing of the 27 victims, including women and children, deployment of adequate central security forces in vulnerable Kuki villages in Tengnoupal, Chandel, Ukhrul, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur, and compensation and rehabilitation for the families of the deceased. The organisation warned that if justice is denied, it will intensify its agitation and approach national and international human rights bodies for intervention.
