Kuki Inpi Rejects Tangkhul Naga Long Statement Against Tony Singsit

The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has strongly rejected what it described as a “false, misleading, and diversionary” narrative issued by the Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long against journalist Tony Singsit.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Kuki Inpi defended Singsit, stating that he is a qualified journalist who has consistently reported on socio-political developments in Northeast India with credibility. The organisation said his remarks made during an interview aired on Zonet were “grounded in facts emerging from the ground” and reflected the realities of the situation.

The organisation alleged that attempts to personally discredit Singsit were deliberate efforts aimed at “suppressing uncomfortable truths.”

Kuki Inpi further accused the TNL Working Committee of avoiding the “core issue” surrounding the recent tensions between Tangkhul and Kuki communities. According to the statement, the incident initially began as a drunken altercation between individuals from the two communities but was later escalated into a wider conflict-like situation by “sections of Tangkhul leadership and affiliated elements.”

It claimed that instead of addressing the sequence of events, TNL had attempted to divert public attention by introducing what it termed “unrelated land narratives.”

“The issue at hand is violence, loss of life, and targeted attacks, not manufactured land claims,” the statement said.

Kuki Inpi also rejected assertions of “exclusive land ownership” allegedly projected by TNL, arguing that settlement histories in areas such as Ukhrul district have historically overlapped between Kukis and Tangkhuls.

The organisation maintained that Kuki villages operate under a traditional chieftainship system where land ownership is vested in village chiefs, a structure it said has been historically recognised from the colonial British administration to the present constitutional framework in Manipur.

Further accusing TNL of attempting to “avoid accountability, distort facts, and reframe the issue,” Kuki Inpi stated that such narratives only deepen mistrust and obstruct peace efforts.

The Kuki apex body also condemned attempts to label Kukis as “refugees” in their ancestral lands, describing such claims as “historically false” and “dangerous propaganda aimed at ethnic cleansing.”

Kuki Inpi called on authorities and the public to focus on “truth and accountability,” asserting that peace cannot be achieved through distortion or propaganda.