Tangkhul Naga bodies seek SoO revocation in memo to PM

UKHRUL – Five apex Tangkhul Naga bodies have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with Kuki armed groups and withdraw the Assam Rifles from all Naga areas of Manipur, in an 11-point memorandum submitted through the Ukhrul deputy commissioner on Nov. 5.

The memorandum was signed by Sword Vashum, president of the Tangkhul Naga Long; Kashung Tennyson, president of the Tangkhul Naga Awunga Long; Thingreiphi Lungharwoshi, president of the Tangkhul Shanao Long; Ramreichan Keishing, president of the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong; and Ringphapam Kasar, president of the Tangkhul Mayar Ngala Long. A copy was marked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Writing “on behalf of the Tangkhul Naga community”, the bodies asked the Centre to treat the Manipur crisis as what they called “a historical problem of illegal Kuki immigration and hill-valley disparity”, and to seek a “permanent political solution” that addresses “the existing structural imbalances”.

What the Tangkhul Naga bodies allege

The memorandum says the Meitei-Kuki violence that began on May 3, 2023, has “spiraled into the Naga inhabited areas” since February this year. It cites an assault on a Naga civilian on Feb. 7, 2026, and the burning of more than 23 Tangkhul Naga houses in the Litan area the following day.

Since then, the bodies allege, killings, abductions, arson and firing targeting Naga civilians have continued at the hands of Kuki armed groups, including the KNF(P) and cadres of groups under the KNA/KNO SoO arrangement. The document lists 17 other groups it describes as affiliated with them. Also Read Lok Bhavan curbs take effect as NYM calls off Kohima sit-in

According to the memorandum, more than 32 Naga civilians have been killed. It refers to the recovery on June 10 of the bodies of six abducted Liangmei Naga men, and to the killing of Ajinbou Ringkangmai at IT Road in Kangpokpi on Oct. 10. It says no arrest of “the main culprits” has been made, despite what it calls an “open admission” by the chairman of the Kuki-Zo Council at a press conference on June 25.

The memorandum also accuses the SoO groups of breaching the agreements’ ground rules, which require cadres to stay in designated camps and keep weapons in monitored, double-locked armouries. It quotes an Oct. 22 report in The Sangai Express that only 18 cadres were found during a verification at the Sinai camp, where 140 to 150 KNA and KLA cadres were supposed to be staying.

Allegations against the Assam Rifles

The memorandum’s sharpest charges are aimed at the Assam Rifles. It claims that “enough evidence has been collected to prove” that the paramilitary force has been supporting and arming Kuki militants, and says villagers have seen Assam Rifles personnel transporting logistics and “suspicious war materials”. It does not set out that evidence. It says Naga women have been forced to hold sit-ins at “every sensitive village location” in protest against the force’s movements.

The bodies allege that on Oct. 17, Indian-made ammunition and accessories were found with Kuki militants near Chassad Kuki village, and that the 11 Assam Rifles then carried out “indiscriminate bombings, shelling and firings” targeting residential areas of the Kamjong district headquarters between 9 and 9.30 p.m.

The memorandum further claims that, under India’s counter-insurgency policy, “every Naga is viewed as potential enemy militant”, and that the failure of the state to protect its citizens is forcing villagers “to take up arms to protect themselves in self-defense”. Also Read Three youth bodies shun Naga Youth Movement Kohima dharna

The Assam Rifles and the Kuki organisations named in the memorandum had not publicly responded to it at the time of writing. Nagaland.News will update this story if they do.

The 11 demands

The memorandum’s charter of demands asks the Centre to:

1. Restructure people’s representation in the Manipur Legislative Assembly “in line with the constitutional mandate”. The bodies argue that the valley, with about 10 per cent of the state’s area and 53 per cent of its population, holds 40 Assembly seats, while the hills, with 90 per cent of the area and 47 per cent of the population, hold 19.
2. Recognise the Manipur problem as “a historical problem of illegal Kuki immigration and hill-valley disparity” and seek a permanent political solution.
3. Stop the militarisation of Naga areas and withdraw the Assam Rifles from all of them.
4. Stop “waging of proxy warfare using Kuki militants” against the people of Manipur.
5. Identify Kuki refugees and those it calls illegal immigrants, and deport them in a time-bound manner.
6. Ensure no “separate homeland, administrative arrangement or territorial council” is granted to the Kukis that would affect Naga ancestral territories.
7. Declare the KNF(P), the KNA/KNO and their affiliated SoO groups terrorist organisations.
8. Revoke the SoO agreements and disarm and arrest all SoO cadres.
9. Relocate all internally displaced persons away from Naga-inhabited areas.
10. Remove Nemcha Kipgen from the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
11. Have the Manipur government cancel chieftainship touzis and village settlement pattas issued to people it describes as Kuki immigrants, evict “unauthorized” settlements in accordance with law, and issue no fresh ones.

The memorandum also claims that the number of Kuki villages in Manipur has grown from 73 in the 1881 census to 1,878 today, and alleges that hill land is being encroached upon for poppy cultivation.

Background

Tension between Tangkhul Naga and Kuki communities has run high in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts this year. On Oct. 17, at least five people were reported injured in firing near Kamjong bazar and Chassad village, EastMojo reported. Local sources alleged that suspected Kuki militants fired on Tangkhul Naga civilians and that Assam Rifles personnel helped armed men, while Chassad residents said the firing came from the Kamjong side. None of these claims was independently verified, and no official statement was issued at the time. Also Read At least three killed in Noney gunfight between armed groups

Between Oct. 20 and 23, a joint operation by Manipur Police and the CRPF at the Mt. Sinai SoO camp in Kangpokpi district found 18 people at the camp, of whom 17 were arrested for allegedly impersonating KNA and KLA cadres, EastMojo reported, citing an official source who said 150 listed cadres were meant to be stationed there. The SoO agreement with the Kuki National Organisation and the United People’s Front expired on Sept. 4 and has not been extended, the report said.

Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki MLA, was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in February, when President’s Rule was lifted and Yumnam Khemchand Singh took office as Chief Minister.