Ukhrul, July 19 | EKHON: The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has escalated its confrontation with the Manipur and Central governments, accusing security forces of creating a dangerous security vacuum in Naga areas, days after the organisation imposed a blanket ban on security operations in its jurisdiction.
In its latest press statement, the TNL alleged that an armed group of Kuki cadres exploited the situation to enter Sharkaphung village in Kamjong district and attempt the abduction of a villager, intensifying the organisation’s charge that state security actions have left vulnerable Naga settlements exposed to armed incursions.
It said 45-year-old Abner Kasar was allegedly captured at gunpoint on July 17 while returning home after confronting armed men who were reportedly electro-fishing in farmland areas near a stream bordering Thawai Kuki village.
The TNL claimed that the armed cadres, operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework, entered the village area in the afternoon. After Kasar allegedly drove them away from the farmlands, the organisation said he was intercepted by three armed cadres and forcibly taken away. The TNL further alleged that four other cadres moved towards a forested area, apparently with the intention of launching a further offensive against villagers.
Kasar reportedly managed to escape after resisting his captors, who the TNL alleged had physically assaulted him. The armed men subsequently withdrew from the area, according to the communiqué.
The TNL has directly linked the alleged incident to a security operation conducted three days earlier, on July 14. It claimed that a joint team comprising State Police, Assam Rifles and personnel from the Punjab, Madras and Bihar Regiments had conducted a combing operation in the area and apprehended four village civil defence guards.
The organisation called the operation as “illegal” and alleged that the removal of the village guards left Sharkaphung vulnerable to armed intrusion. The TNL accused the security forces of effectively creating a security vacuum that was subsequently exploited by the alleged Kuki cadres.
In one of its strongest accusations, the TNL alleged that the State and Central governments were aiding armed Kuki groups which are “narco-terrorist groups” in a proxy conflict against the Naga community.
The TNL has demanded an explanation from the Khemchand-led Manipur government over its approach to the alleged aggression by armed Kuki groups against Naga villages and other indigenous communities. It warned that continued silence from the Chief Minister would be interpreted as evidence of complicity with armed groups.
The organisation also held the BJP governments in Manipur and New Delhi responsible for the wider violence that has devastated the state, accusing security forces and governments of failing to protect vulnerable Naga villages.
The allegations come amid continuing tensions and competing claims by communities in Manipur over security operations, armed groups and the conduct of forces in conflict-affected areas.
