UKHRUL: The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), representing the collective voice of the Naga youths and the students in the state, has expressed strong indignation over the ‘so-called apology issued by the self-styled leaders of Kuki-Zo Council on the brutal murder of the Six Naga Hostages after abduction’. It also stated that the statement in question neither constitutes an apology nor an admission of the unlawful and inhumane crime committed by the KNF(P) and Lailon Vaiphei Kuki Villagers on 13th May, 2026. Also, it stated that the statement, on the contrary, is tantamount to a direct challenge and insult to the Naga people and reflects an alarming disposition of arrogance and perceived supremacy directed against the master of their land.
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“The derogatory and contemptuous use of the term “Katcha Nagas” by these nomadic leaders, who are also refugees historically, is wholly unacceptable, historically untenable, and profoundly offensive. It amounts to a direct challenge against the identity, history, and dignity of the Naga people. Far from demonstrating remorse, the use of such pejorative and concocted nomenclature following a barbaric crime committed by the Kuki perpetrators reveals a disturbing persistence of prejudice and communal disdain,” their press release said.
The association also categorically asserted that no apology can be deemed credible, sincere, and acceptable until the perpetrators responsible for the abduction, torture, mutilation, and brutal killing of the six innocent Naga hostages are identified, apprehended, and punished in accordance with the rule of law. “Justice cannot be supplanted by rhetoric, nor can accountability be substituted by carefully crafted declarations bereft of legal consequence. The heinous crime against the six innocent Naga hostages was perpetrated in Leilon Vaiphei Kuki Village, situated within the ancestral Naga territory, a land inherited and preserved through generations of Naga forefathers. The victims were abducted, held captive, subjected to unspeakable cruelty, and ultimately slain upon Naga soil. This atrocity constitutes not merely an offence against six individuals but a grievous assault upon the dignity, security, and collective existence of the Naga people within their own ancestral land,” it remarked.
Further, the ANSAM questioned as to how the Kuki-Zo Council, constituted from different communities belonging to Kukis and Zomis, chose to employ such derogatory and immature expressions in this inhumane crime, which directly violated international human rights. “Such conduct does not reflect contrition; rather, it undermines the very essence of the apology they seek to project. We seriously view the statement not as an act of repentance but as an affront that aggravates the pain and anguish already suffered by the Naga people,” it decried.
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It also further seeks clarification as to whether the apology issued by the so-called Kuki-Zo Council is tendered on behalf of those directly involved in the killing of the six Naga hostages, or whether they themselves possess responsibility and association with the barbaric crime for which they now seek forgiveness. Equally pertinent is the question of whether those issuing the statement possess any legitimate mandate to speak on behalf of all constituent communities grouped under the Kuki-Zo nomenclature.
Furthermore, the ANSAM stated that the Naga people wish to know whether the Zomi people have formally accepted ‘this so-called Kuki-Zo Council and whether they endorse the apology issued in relation to crimes committed against innocent Naga civilians’. Reiterating that the Nagas have already categorically clarified their non-involvement in the killing of the three Thadou church leaders, it reported that the unfortunate incident reportedly occurred between Kotzim and Kotlen Kuki villages, areas where Nagas neither have access nor influence. Any attempt to implicate the Nagas in that incident is entirely baseless, malicious, and intended solely to manufacture communal animosity through misinformation, it asserted.
The ANSAM then calls upon the Government of Manipur and the Government of India to discharge their constitutional responsibilities with utmost seriousness and urgency.
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“Those responsible for the abduction and brutal killing of the six innocent Naga hostages must be brought before the law without delay. Justice delayed in a matter of such gravity would represent a profound failure of the rule of law and a disservice to the principles of democratic governance. The legitimate concerns and charter of demands submitted by the United Naga Council must receive earnest consideration and expeditious action. The Naga people cannot be expected to accept symbolic gestures in lieu of justice, nor rhetorical statements in place of accountability. ANSAM stands in unwavering solidarity with the bereaved families and with the Naga people in their relentless pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability,” ANSAM stated.
“The memory of the six innocent Naga hostages who were abducted, tortured, mutilated, and mercilessly slain in their own ancestral land shall not be trivialised by hollow pronouncements, evasive narratives, and derogatory references directed against the Naga people. Genuine reconciliation can only emerge from truth, accountability, respect for identity, admission of the historical facts, and the uncompromising administration of justice,” the press note conluded.
