UKHRUL: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has strongly condemned the reported ambush and killing of a Kuki-Zo woman in Kamjong district, demanding an immediate and impartial investigation and accountability for all those responsible.
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According to the KZC, four Kuki-Zo villagers travelling from Molvailup to Phaikoh to purchase essential commodities were reportedly ambushed by suspected NSCN-IM cadres at around 4 pm on Thursday. Hatneikim Haokip was killed on the spot, while her husband, Jamkhongam Haokip, sustained serious injuries. The incident brings the reported death toll of Kuki-Zo civilians killed in violence attributed to NSCN-IM and ZUF(K) to 30, the council stated.
The KZC also questioned the political response to the killings, stating that deputy chief minister Losii Dikho, who has demanded the removal of his colleague Nemcha Kipgen over allegations of complicity in the killing of Naga civilians, must also face scrutiny over allegations concerning his own links with NSCN-IM and ZUF(K), which the council holds responsible for the deaths of Kuki-Zo civilians.
The council said Dikho could not demand accountability from a colleague while questions surrounding his own alleged associations remained unanswered. It stressed that accountability must be impartial, consistent and free from political selectivity.
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The KZC further argued that if Naga leaders in Manipur were demanding the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF), the ceasefire arrangement with NSCN-IM should also be reviewed for possible abrogation.
The same standards, it said, must apply to all armed groups without discrimination or political favouritism.
Drawing a parallel between the treatment of armed organisations, the council stated that if the president of KNF (P) was to be arrested and treated as a terrorist, NSCN-IM’s leadership should likewise face appropriate legal action over allegations of responsibility for the killing of more than 1,000 Kukis during the 1990s and the recent killings of Kuki-Zo civilians.
The KZC maintained that no individual or organisation should be above the law and that allegations of grave violence must be investigated with equal seriousness, regardless of the community affected or the organisation involved.
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Calling on the government to uphold the rule of law, the council said authorities could not apply different standards to different groups while overlooking allegations of serious violence against the Kuki-Zo people.
“Justice cannot be selective, and accountability must be equal for all,” the council asserted.