𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐡𝐮𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬

The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex civil body of the Tangkhul Nagas, has condemned recent incidents of violence in Litan and adjoining Naga-inhabited areas, stating targeted attacks on Naga villagers and encroachment on ancestral land.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the TNL Working Committee said the unrest followed an alleged attempt to murder a Tangkhul villager on the evening of February 7 in Litan. It stated that Stalin A. Shimray, a school teacher, was assaulted around 9.10 p.m. without provocation and sustained grievous injuries.

The organisation further alleged that on February 8, armed Kuki militants entered Sikibung/Sharkaphung village and set fire to more than 23 houses belonging to Tangkhul Nagas, including that of the village headman. It claimed that gunshots were fired towards inhabited areas, triggering panic among residents.

According to the TNL, fresh incidents were reported on February 23, when parts of the Lungter Hill Range in Sinakeithei village were allegedly set ablaze. The body also alleged that a villager, Aseng Awungshi, was abducted at gunpoint, and that another narrowly escaped after shots were fired at him.

The TNL expressed concern over what it described as the open movement of fully armed Suspension of Operations (SoO) cadres in the presence of central security forces over the past 18 days, alleging that such movement violated the revised SoO agreement. It further claimed that foreign militants, including cadres of the KNA(B), were present in SoO camps.

Raising questions over the role of central security forces, the TNL alleged that instead of safeguarding Naga lives and property, certain forces appeared to be siding with Kuki militants. It accused the Centre of attempting to create a “separate homeland/administration” for Kukis within Naga areas and warned against what it termed “demographic engineering” in Naga-inhabited regions.

The statement maintained that Litan/Litan Bazaar falls within the ancestral territory of Sikibung/Sharkaphung village and referred to administrative orders issued in September and October 2024 directing adherence to traditional jurisdiction and customary practices. It also cited a joint meeting held on June 28, 2025, in which local chiefs had reportedly acknowledged Tangkhul ancestral land ownership and agreed to maintain peace along the Imphal–Ukhrul highway.

While asserting that Nagas have historically upheld peaceful co-existence and extended humanitarian support during the peak of the Meitei–Kuki conflict, the TNL said repeated incidents of violence and harassment had strained relations. It listed affected areas including Litan Sareikhong, Mongkot Chepu, Yaolen, Shangai, Zalenbung, Lamlai Chingphe and Thawai Kuki/Sepiyang.

The TNL urged the central and state governments to relocate SoO Kuki militant camps from Naga-inhabited areas and to identify and deport illegal immigrants. It also called for the eviction of what it described as unrecognised and illegal settlements and the cancellation of all illegal land permits (Touzi), stating that no fresh permits should be issued for new Kuki settlements.

Alleging collusion by certain central security forces in the torching of Naga houses, the body demanded legal action against those responsible and called for the withdrawal of deployed forces from Naga areas.

Meanwhile, the TNL directed Tangkhul Naga villagers to sever civic and economic ties with the Kukis with immediate effect.

The organisation maintained that while it continues to support peaceful co-existence and restoration of normalcy, such peace cannot come at the expense of Naga land rights and ownership.