'Death Threats, Vandalism By Kuki Insurgents': Naga Body Files Police Case In Manipur

A village authority of the Naga tribes in Manipur has filed a police case alleging death threats and vandalism by insurgents of the Kuki National Front (KNF) in their village in Kangpokpi district, 45 km from the state capital Imphal.

In the first information report (FIR) filed on Wednesday, the Ireng Naga Village Authority alleged that KNF/UPF insurgents came to the village and vandalised public property including a shed at a bus stop at 11.30 pm on January 11.

The insurgents also "defaced the village memorial stone by writing 'Kukiland' and 'Stay Away'... acts [that] amount to criminal trespass, mischief, and deliberate ethnic intimidation," the Naga village authority said in the FIR.

NDTV has seen a copy of the FIR.

The UPF is short for United People's Front, one of the two umbrella groups of insurgents that signed the tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government. The KNF is a part of the UPF.

"On 12 January 2026, after villagers held a peaceful road blocked seeking protection, one Tiger Kipgen (Thangboi/Haogenthang Kipgen), reportedly a KNF commander, contacted the village chairman via WhatsApp and mobile calls at 12.05 pm and issued explicit threats of open gunfire and burning down the entire village," the Ireng Naga Village Authority said in the FIR.

"Later, on the same day, at about 2.01 pm, 30-40 heavily armed cadres were sighted advancing towards the village, causing panic and fear of imminent attack," it said.

The villagers said the incident was a clear violation of the SoO agreement's ground rules.

The SoO agreement was first formally signed in 2008. Every year, a joint monitoring group reviews the agreement and decides its future. Broadly, the SoO agreement says the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly. It was last extended for a year in September 2025.

'Indefinite Bandh'

Another Naga civil society group, the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC), has confirmed support for an "indefinite bandh" called by the Joint Tribe Council. The FNCC in a statement said the authorities have not kept their word on commitments made in previous meetings.

In August 2025, following protests by the FNCC, the Manipur government held a meeting with the civil society organisation's representatives in Imphal. A post-meeting statement said it was clarified that the state government had not approved or sanctioned any road called 'Tiger/German road' as pointed out by the FNCC.

"Necessary legal action will be taken after verifying the status of such illegal constructions/naming, if any on ground, will not be permitted," a statement signed by leaders of four tribal organisations of the FNCC and Manipur home secretary N Ashok Kumar had said.

The areas that 'German/Tiger Road' pass are not far from some designated camps of Kuki insurgent groups under the SoO agreement. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stopped the illegal work on this so-called road that passes through forests.

The Indigenous Peoples Forum, Manipur (IPFM) has also strongly condemned what it called the continued curtailment of the constitutional and fundamental rights of the indigenous peoples of Manipur due to the impunity granted under the SoO agreement.

"The recent incident involving the Liangmai indigenous community of Ireng Naga village (Puilong), Kangpokpi district, is a glaring example of this grave injustice. Armed cadres of the Kuki National Front operating under the UPF, and purportedly bound by the SoO agreement, allegedly vandalised public property, desecrated village memorials with provocative and divisive slogans such as 'Kukiland' and 'Stay Away... Such acts constitute blatant violations of the SoO ground rules and amount to criminal intimidation and terror against indigenous people," the IPFM said in a statement to the media.

Thadou Tribe Condemns Incident

The Thadou Human Rights Advocacy in a statement said it unequivocally condemns the government for its failure to enforce the SoO agreement.

"This abdication of responsibility has once again directly enabled armed intimidation, vandalism, death threats, and territorial aggression against indigenous communities of Manipur," the civil society organisation of the Thadou tribe said.

"We demand the immediate disarming and prosecution of all SoO cadres involved in the Ireng Naga attack and threats; the suspension of the SoO agreement until credible enforcement mechanisms are implemented; and the deployment of neutral security forces to protect all indigenous communities without bias," it said.