Shafaqna India:The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) on Monday urged the Centre to ensure a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into all incidents of violence in Manipur, including the killing of Kuki-Zo civilians and the burning of villages belonging to the tribal community in recent months.
The council also called for the expediting of meaningful political dialogue aimed at securing a just and lasting solution that addresses the aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people. Politics
Addressing a press conference here, the apex body representing the Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur sought unhindered access to healthcare services for all citizens and demanded adequate protection for Kuki-Zo patients seeking treatment in public institutions.
The KZC also urged the authorities to reopen all blocked routes and ensure the uninterrupted movement of food, medicines, fuel and other essential commodities to Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas.
A KZC delegation, which met Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit earlier in the day, also called for enhanced security arrangements in vulnerable areas to protect civilians and Kuki-Zo villages and to prevent further attacks.
The council alleged that Naga groups had blocked key roads leading to Kuki-Zo areas following last month’s hostage crisis, in which six Naga hostages were killed.
Due to the blockade, food supplies and other essentials were not reaching Kuki-Zo villages in Kangpokpi district, which borders Nagaland, KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said.
The continued disruption of transport routes through Naga-dominated areas, particularly in Senapati district and Namdilong in Imphal West district, has severely affected the movement of essential goods, the council said.
According to the KZC, families in affected areas continue to struggle to access basic necessities, medicines and other critical supplies. The prolonged disruption has reportedly pushed petrol prices up to Rs 250 per litre, while the cost of an LPG cylinder has risen to as much as Rs 5,000, placing a heavy burden on households.
Vualzong further alleged that since March 2026, at least 15 Kuki-Zo civilians had been killed and around 55 houses in 14 Kuki-Zo villages had been set on fire during the ongoing conflict involving Naga groups in Manipur.
KZC president Henlianthang Thanglet said the Kuki-Zo community had made sincere efforts to resolve the dispute through traditional tribal conflict-resolution mechanisms. However, those efforts failed to yield results and the situation deteriorated, eventually leading to the burning of Kuki-Zo houses in Litan Sareikhong.
He also referred to an incident on June 15 in which three Kuki-Zo youths aged between 18 and 20 were seriously injured in an attack allegedly carried out by suspected NSCN (IM) and ZUF-K militants at Leilon Munlui village in Kangpokpi district.
Among the injured was Paogoulal Chongloi, a member of Mohun Bagan Super Giant Football Club, who requires advanced medical treatment because of the severity of his injuries.
The injured youths were initially admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal. However, reports indicate that protests arose within the hospital premises opposing their treatment.
Consequently, they were compelled to leave the facility and were transferred to Churachandpur District Hospital in the early hours of the following day.
The Kuki-Zo people, particularly those residing in Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, and Kamjong districts, KZC said, continue to face severe hardships due to disruptions in transportation and supply routes, the KZC said.
The Government of India must recognise the gravity of the situation and address not only the immediate security concerns but also the underlying political issues that have emerged from this prolonged conflict, the body said.
