Imphal, June 26: In a significant admission, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has acknowledged that members of the Kuki-Zo community were responsible for the killing of six Naga hostages in Manipur, describing the incident as a “grave mistake” committed “out of emotion”.
Addressing a press conference in Churachandpur on Thursday, KZC chairman Henlianthang Thanglet publicly apologised for the killings and called for a fair and impartial investigation.
“I agree that the Kuki-Zos made a great mistake by killing the six Naga civilians. I strongly condemn it. I am very sorry and apologise on behalf of my people,” Thanglet said.
However, he maintained that the killings were neither authorised nor approved by any Kuki-Zo political or community leadership.
The KZC also demanded a comprehensive probe into all recent incidents of violence, including the killing of the six Naga hostages, the deaths of three Kuki-Zo pastors and 14 Kuki civilians, and attacks on Kuki villages.
The admission comes amid deepening tensions between sections of the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities following a series of retaliatory attacks that began in May.
The six slain Nagas were among 20 civilians abducted in Kangpokpi district on May 13, the same day three prominent Thadou church leaders and their driver were killed in an ambush while returning from an interfaith peace conference in Churachandpur.
The victims of the ambush included Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the Thadou Baptist Association, Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. The killings shocked both communities, particularly as Rev. Sitlhou had been actively involved in peace initiatives between Kukis and Nagas.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the church leaders, and the mystery surrounding the killings remains unresolved. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe on June 8, citing the gravity of the offence and its wider ramifications.
The Kuki-Zo Council alleged that the ambush was carried out by the Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson) in collaboration with valley-based insurgent groups, while the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust also alleged the involvement of NSCN-IM. Both groups have denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Losii Dikho has alleged that cadres of the Kuki National Front-Presidential (KNF-P) were behind the abduction and killing of the six Naga civilians.
The bodies of the six hostages were recovered from a forested area near Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district on June 10. The United Naga Council (UNC) claimed the bodies were mutilated and has refused to accept them until its demands, including the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, are met.
The killings triggered protests across Naga-inhabited areas, with the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) leading a peace rally in Imphal on June 20 demanding justice, an NIA probe and action against those responsible.
Thanglet said the violence was fuelled by a chain of events beginning with the killing of two Kuki men after a drunken altercation in Ukhrul district, followed by the ambush on the church leaders and the subsequent killing of the Naga hostages.
Even as the Kuki-Zo Council’s apology marks a rare acknowledgement of responsibility, the circumstances surrounding the killing of the three pastors remain shrouded in mystery, with investigators yet to establish who carried out the deadly ambush that set off the latest cycle of violence.
The NIA is currently probing both the May 13 ambush on the church leaders and the abduction and killing of the six Naga civilians.
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