Manipur tribal body CoTU questions motive behind alleged attack on Deputy CM Losii Dikho’s convoy

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has sought an immediate and impartial investigation into the alleged attack on vehicles belonging to Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho and the Paomei Naga Tsiidoumai (PNTM) at Namdilong near Kanglatongbi on August 17.

Describing the incident as “deeply shameful”, the CoTU said the reported attack and the political discourse surrounding it raised questions about the safety of elected representatives and the motive behind the violence.

The committee said the incident was particularly concerning as Mr Dikho had advocated peace, unity and reconciliation among Christian tribes, including after the killing of three Church leaders on May 13.

According to the CoTU, Mr Dikho had twice led State government delegations to Senapati to engage with the United Naga Council (UNC) over the prolonged blockade of essential commodities. On one occasion, he accompanied Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and, on another, the Home Minister, the committee said.

The CoTU demanded that those involved in the alleged attack be arrested and legal action be taken against anyone found to have organised, encouraged or participated in the incident.

The committee also questioned the clarification issued by the Liangmei Naga Council over the incident. It asked how the PNTM vehicle could allegedly have been mistaken for a vehicle belonging to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen when the vehicle reportedly carried the identity of the Paomei Naga Tsiidoumai.

It further questioned why information allegedly identifying the vehicle as belonging to Ms Kipgen was circulated when the Deputy Chief Minister reportedly involved in the incident was Mr Dikho, a Mao Naga leader.

“Who spread the misinformation, and why?” the CoTU asked, calling on the government to establish whether the incident was isolated or part of a broader pattern of identity-based targeting.

The committee also rejected attempts to link Ms Kipgen to the Langka incident without what it described as credible evidence, saying such allegations should be examined through an investigation rather than through ethnic narratives or political speculation.

The CoTU also referred to the burning of Lanchah, Kultuh and Phaimol villages in Phungyar Assembly constituency of Kamjong district and called for a thorough investigation into whether the incidents were planned, coordinated or linked to local MLA Leishiyo.

The committee alleged a “double standard” in the treatment of elected representatives, questioning the scrutiny faced by Kuki-Zo MLAs over their absence from the Assembly and the reported pressure on Ms Kipgen, a Kuki-Zo MLA and Deputy Chief Minister, to attend office in Imphal amid demands concerning her Tribal Affairs portfolio.

The CoTU said the government should establish who attacked the vehicles, who circulated the alleged misinformation, who organised or encouraged the attack and what the motive was.

It said the people of Manipur deserved facts, accountability and equal protection, and urged the government to act impartially if the Paomei Naga Tsiidoumai and Mao identity was found to have been deliberately targeted.