KOHUR accuses UNC of ‘moral evasion’, demands release of 14 Kuki‑Zo civilians

The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has accused the United Naga Council (UNC) of attempting to “whitewash the conduct of armed Naga elements” and deflect attention from the May 13 ambush in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district that killed three senior Kuki-Zo Christian clergymen.

In a rejoinder issued against the UNC’s May 21 statement, KOHUR alleged that the council was trying to “recast the victims of a premeditated act of terrorism as instigators” while failing to address allegations surrounding the attack and the reported detention of 14 Kuki-Zo civilians in Senapati district.

According to KOHUR, a convoy of two vehicles belonging to the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI) came under alleged automatic-weapons fire near Saheibung Peak, also known as Zero Point, while returning from a church convention in Churachandpur district. Security personnel allegedly informed the organisation that eight to ten armed men were involved in the ambush.

The attack claimed the lives of Rev. Dr Vumthang Sitlhou, President of TBAI and former General Secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention, Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. Several others, including church members and drivers, were reportedly injured.

KOHUR stated that Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou had recently participated in peace consultations between Kuki-Zo and Naga Christian leaders. “The man whose murder the UNC now euphemises as an ‘ambush’ devoted the final weeks of his life to peace between our two peoples,” the organisation said.

The rights body also referred to a May 13 statement allegedly issued by the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), which reportedly blamed NSCN-IM cadres for carrying out the ambush under a fabricated “ZUF-Kamson” banner. KOHUR claimed the UNC had remained silent on those allegations.

KOHUR further cited a statement by the Tahamzam Youth Forum (TYF), which allegedly acknowledged that 14 Kuki-Zo civilians were being held by the “Naga Village Guard, Northern Command” in exchange for six missing Naga men. Calling it a “public confession of unlawful detention”, KOHUR demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians allegedly in captivity.

The organisation contrasted the alleged detentions with earlier instances where Kuki villagers reportedly released detained Tangkhul Naga civilians “within hours” and “without precondition” following separate incidents in Ukhrul district.

KOHUR also accused the UNC of selective silence, alleging that it had not condemned the killings of the three church leaders or other incidents involving Kuki-Zo civilians in recent months. “Selective condemnation is precisely the charge that the UNC has, by its own conduct, earned,” the organisation stated.

Describing the killings as “the targeted killing of religious figures”, KOHUR said the victims were “not combatants” but clergy members travelling in clearly marked church vehicles after attending a religious gathering.

The organisation demanded a transparent and time-bound probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the May 13 attack, along with independent investigations into other recent incidents of violence. It also called for the release of both the 14 allegedly detained Kuki-Zo civilians and the six missing Naga men.

“KOHUR has neither the time nor the inclination for a war of press releases,” the statement said, adding that its focus remained “the lives of innocent people, the dignity of the dead, the safety of those still held, and the prevention of further atrocity.”