KOHUR Hits Back at UNC, Claims Coordinated Conspiracy Behind Church Leaders' Murder; Seeks Court-Monitored NIA Probe

The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) launched a counterattack against the United Naga Council (UNC), accusing it of attempting to "shield and absolve" those responsible for the killing of three prominent Kuki-Zo church leaders and demanding a court-monitored National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into what it described as a "premeditated and coordinated campaign of violence."

In a rejoinder to the UNC's May 29 statement, KOHUR alleged that the May 13 ambush that claimed the lives of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum and Pastor Paogoulun Sitlhou was not an isolated incident but part of a wider conspiracy aimed at inflaming ethnic tensions across Manipur.

The rights body accused the UNC of attempting to prejudge the outcome of an ongoing investigation by publicly declaring the innocence of organisations whose roles, it said, must be examined by investigating agencies.

"One does not establish innocence by proclaiming it loudly; one establishes it by surviving scrutiny," KOHUR said.

The organisation maintained that the slain church leaders were specifically targeted because of their prominent role in fostering Kuki-Zo unity and promoting inter-community reconciliation, particularly through the formation of the United Baptist Council (UBC), which it said emerged as an alternative religious platform outside structures traditionally dominated by Naga leadership.

Rejecting UNC's assertion that Naga armed groups had no motive to target the pastors, KOHUR argued that the emergence of the UBC represented a significant challenge to existing religious and institutional influence in the region.

KOHUR further alleged that the attack bore "every hallmark of a meticulously planned operation" orchestrated by top leaders of the NSCN-IM and executed under the purported cover of a "ZUF-K" banner.

According to the organisation, information allegedly available with government agencies investigating the case indicates that the ambush and the near-simultaneous interception and abduction of Kuki-Zo civilians in the Ireng area occurred within a narrow 15-to-20-minute timeframe, suggesting a level of coordination inconsistent with a spontaneous local conflict.

The organisation also dismissed UNC's claim that the attackers spoke in a Kuki dialect, calling it "cheap propaganda" and asserting that survivors and victims had identified the assailants as Manipur Naga gunmen.

KOHUR cited past incidents, including attacks on K. Songlung village and the recent assault on Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district, as evidence that armed Naga groups have repeatedly carried out operations inside Kuki-Zo inhabited areas despite the presence of security forces.

KOHUR referred to a Bolero Camper vehicle that allegedly crossed the ambush site minutes before the attack carrying a Rongmei Naga name painted prominently on its windscreen. The vehicle, it claimed, was allowed to pass unharmed, while vehicles carrying the church leaders were subsequently attacked.

"The selectivity of the killing is itself the confession," the organisation stated.

KOHUR also challenged the credibility of denials issued by various ZUF factions, pointing to what it described as contradictions between statements issued by the recognised Zeliangrong United Front and groups identifying themselves as "ZUF-K."

The rights body further accused the UNC of indirectly rationalising the murder of Rev. Dr. Sitlhou by suggesting that his reconciliation efforts may have conflicted with certain political interests.

Describing the late church leader as a bridge-builder who actively promoted Kuki-Zo-Naga reconciliation, KOHUR said any attempt to justify or explain away his killing was "an obscene suggestion."

The organisation also renewed concern over what it described as the continuing captivity of 14 Kuki-Zo men allegedly being held hostage in Senapati district, calling for their immediate, safe and unconditional release.

While reiterating its condemnation of all hostage-taking regardless of community affiliation, KOHUR accused the UNC of failing to acknowledge the plight of the remaining captives.

In another significant section of the rejoinder, KOHUR attacked the credibility of the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), whose statements had been cited by the UNC.

The organisation claimed TIM, along with associated groups, lacked legitimacy and had been publicly disowned by recognised Thadou tribe institutions, including the Thadou Inpi General Headquarters (TI-GHQ) and Thadou Inpi-Sadar Hills.

KOHUR alleged that TIM was created by "vested interests" to manufacture divisions within the Kuki-Zo community, a charge that has been repeatedly denied by the organisation.

Concluding its rejoinder, KOHUR said the killings of the three church leaders, the wounding of five others, the abduction of civilians and the continuing attacks on Kuki-Zo villages represented a grave assault on fundamental human rights.

The organisation renewed its demand for a court-monitored NIA investigation into the pastors' killings, related abductions and recent attacks on Kuki-Zo villages, including Kharam Vaiphei.

"Three servants of God lie dead, villages are burning and civilians remain in captivity. Those responsible, whatever banner they hide behind, must be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," KOHUR said.

The rights body asserted that it would continue documenting the incidents and presenting its findings before constitutional authorities in India and international human rights forums, expressing confidence that the truth surrounding the killings would ultimately emerge through an independent investigation.