The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has demanded the immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups. In a press statement issued on November 2, the federation alleged that the truce has become a shield for continued violence against Naga villages, civilians and ancestral lands in Manipur, according to a report by Organiser from Kohima.
Key points
- The NSF has asked for the SoO pact with Kuki militant groups to be scrapped immediately.
- It alleges political patronage and a conflict of interest in how the arrangement works.
- The federation named Thangboi Kipgen, husband of Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, as the alleged head of the KNF-P.
- The NSF also defended Deputy Chief Minister Dr Losii Dikho against criticism.
What the NSF alleged
The statement was signed by NSF President Mteisuding and Assistant General Secretary Veze Tunyi. It condemned what the federation called a pattern of premeditated attacks on Naga settlements and civilian populations. It urged the governments of India and Manipur to take immediate action against those responsible.
The federation alleged a serious conflict of interest and political patronage in the SoO arrangement. It pointed to Thangboi Kipgen and alleged that he directly heads the Kuki National Front (KNF-P), a Kuki militant outfit operating under the SoO framework. The NSF questioned why these alleged family and organisational links had not been properly addressed by the authorities, even after Naga legislators had earlier asked for accountability.
Background: the Dikho demand
The report recalls that on October 28, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Losii Dikho asked his Cabinet colleague Nemcha Kipgen to resign from her post. He said she could otherwise use her influence to make sure the Kuki National Front (President), allegedly headed by her husband, stops its activities against Naga communities. Dikho also raised concerns about the outfit's alleged involvement in the killings of Naga civilians and questioned Nemcha Kipgen's silence on the matter.
The NSF later defended Dikho. It described the criticism aimed at him as "selective and unfounded". The federation said he had consistently advocated peace, dialogue and peaceful coexistence, and had condemned killings and violence across communities without discrimination.
Charge of double standards
The NSF alleged a double standard in how the two Deputy Chief Ministers were treated. It argued that a Naga leader speaking for peace was being criticised, while the alleged links between a Kuki cabinet member's family and a militant organisation went unaddressed.
Restating its position on the conflict, the federation said the Naga people had never started aggression. It added that they remain committed to protecting their territorial integrity and ancestral lands.
The claims in the statement are allegations made by the NSF. The source report does not carry any response from Nemcha Kipgen, Thangboi Kipgen or the KNF-P.
