New Delhi: The Kuki‑Zo Council (KZC) on Monday urged the Centre to ensure a fair, impartial and time‑bound investigation into the recent spate of violence in Manipur, including the deaths of Kuki‑Zo civilians and the burning of their villages.
The apex body representing the Kuki‑Zo tribes also pressed for swift, meaningful political talks to achieve a just and lasting resolution that recognises the aspirations of the community.
Addressing a press conference, the KZC demanded unhindered access to healthcare for all citizens and sought adequate safeguards for Kuki‑Zo patients receiving treatment at public hospitals. The council additionally called for the reopening of blocked routes and the uninterrupted movement of food, medicines, fuel and other essential commodities into areas inhabited by Kuki‑Zo people, as reported by The Tribune.
A KZC delegation that met Intelligence Bureau director Mahesh Dixit on Monday asked for stepped‑up security in vulnerable locations to protect civilians and Kuki‑Zo villages and to prevent further attacks. The council alleged that Naga groups had blocked major roads to Kuki‑Zo areas following last month’s hostage crisis, in which six Naga hostages were killed, disrupting supplies to Kuki‑Zo settlements in Kangpokpi district that borders Nagaland, KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong told reporters.
Supply Lines Cut, Prices Soar
“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, adding that families in affected areas were struggling to obtain basic necessities, medicines and other critical supplies. The KZC said the blockade has driven petrol prices to as much as Rs 250 per litre and pushed LPG cylinder costs up to around Rs 5,000, placing severe strain on households.
Vualzong alleged that since March 2026 at least 15 Kuki‑Zo civilians have been killed and about 55 houses in 14 Kuki‑Zo villages set ablaze amid the conflict with Naga groups. KZC president Henlianthang Thanglet said the community had tried to settle the dispute through customary tribal conflict‑resolution mechanisms but those efforts were unsuccessful and the situation worsened, culminating in the burning of Kuki‑Zo homes in Litan Sareikhong.
Protests Force Injured Youths Out Of RIMS
Thanglet also pointed to a June 15 attack at Leilon Munlui village in Kangpokpi district 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.” One of the injured, Paogoulal Chongloi, a player with Mohun Bagan Super Giant Football Club, needs advanced medical care because of the severity of his wounds, the council said.
The three injured youths were initially admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, but “reports indicate that protests arose within the hospital premises opposing their treatment.” As a result, they were forced to leave and were moved to Churachandpur District Hospital in the early hours of the next day, the KZC added.
The council said Kuki‑Zo communities in Kangpokpi, Ukhrul and Kamjong districts continue to face acute hardships because of disruptions to transport and supply routes. The KZC urged the Government of India to recognise the scale of the crisis and to act not only on immediate security needs but also on the deeper political issues produced by the protracted conflict.
