No doubt Kuki militant group was involved in Naga killings: Manipur Dy CM Losii Dikho

Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho has alleged that a Kuki militant group headed by the husband of fellow deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen was involved in the killings of six Naga men earlier this year, saying she should resign or use her influence to stop the violence.

Dikho, a three-term Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLA from Mao in Senapati district, told PTI in an interview that his allegations were based partly on conversations with people who had been released from captivity. The killings, which took place during a hostage crisis between Naga and Kuki communities in May and June, are being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Kipgen’s husband, Thangboi Kipgen, heads the Kuki National Front (President), or KNF(P), one of the outfits covered by the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement involving the Centre, the Manipur government and Kuki armed groups. Nemcha Kipgen has previously denied allegations of collusion with militants.

“She should step down. If she does not want to leave her position, she should immediately tell her husband’s organisation to stop fighting and killing Nagas,” Dikho told PTI.

He alleged that accounts given by people released from captivity had made the group’s involvement clear to him.

“The people who were subsequently released from abduction also spoke to me. They spoke about the exchange of those who had been abducted and how the releases were arranged. It was very clear to us who was involved. There is no doubt about it,” he said.

Dikho also questioned Kipgen’s silence during the crisis, claiming that attempts to contact her while the six Naga men were missing had failed.

“When those six Naga brothers were abducted, before they were killed, we tried to communicate with her, but we failed. That is why we are so unhappy with her,” he said.

Naga MLAs seek action from Centre

Dikho and seven other Naga MLAs in Manipur wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah in late August, seeking action against Kipgen, the arrest of Kuki militant leaders allegedly involved in attacks on Nagas, and the abrogation of the SoO agreement.

The agreement, renegotiated in September 2025, expired in September this year without renewal. Officials have said that the Centre and Kuki outfits continue to respect its terms despite the absence of a fresh agreement.

Dikho said there had been “some movement” towards addressing the concerns of the Naga legislators, who have warned that continued attacks on their community could make it difficult for them to support the BJP-led government.

“There are some people trying to establish contact with us and bring about an understanding on this issue. I do not want to disclose who is approaching us at this stage. But there is some movement,” he said.

Asked whether the Centre was working towards a resolution, Dikho said representatives and political intermediaries were approaching the legislators, but declined to identify them or disclose the proposals under discussion.

He said Kipgen’s removal would ultimately depend on the party leadership, adding that he believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and other leaders in Delhi were listening to their concerns.

Ethnic tensions complicate poll preparations

The public disagreement between the two deputy chief ministers has exposed a rift within Manipur’s leadership, which was formed in February under Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to reflect the state’s ethnic diversity. Dikho is a Naga, Kipgen a Kuki and Khemchand a Meitei.

The latest Naga-Kuki confrontation has added to the ethnic violence that began between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023.

Dikho said assembly elections, due early next year, would be difficult to conduct if the present situation continued, although he believed that announcing the polls could help ease tensions by giving people an opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

On reconciliation, he said the government was engaging with community and church leaders. Some Kuki groups had responded positively, but the discussions had yet to produce concrete outcomes.

Dikho also backed the security operation at the SoO-designated Sinai camp in Kangpokpi, where security forces found only one of 159 registered cadres present before taking control of the premises. Officials have announced an audit of all 14 designated camps.

Asked about allegations by Kuki organisations that the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN(IM), was involved in the violence, Dikho said he had not seen evidence of official or large-scale participation by the group, although he did not rule out individual members supporting village volunteers.