Ukhrul, September 9: Two Naga organizations have sharply condemned an incident in which armed Kuki militants allegedly intercepted and searched a passenger bus in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Monday morning, calling it an act of intimidation against civilians.
According to the Foothill Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) and the Sagolmang Area Naga Students’ Association (SANSA), a bus traveling from Sinakeithei, a Tangkhul Naga village under the Ukhrul Central subdivision, was stopped around 7:30 AM near Molnom village by suspected Kuki militants. Passengers were reportedly frisked, their phones seized and searched, and warning shots fired into the air, causing panic among those on board.
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The FNCC denounced the episode as “an intolerable insult to the dignity and security of the Naga people,” warning that it would be “compelled to take decisive counter-measures” if the responsible group did not issue an apology or explanation. The committee said the Naga people “will not tolerate any infringement upon their ancestral land, freedom, or dignity.”
“The FNCC reaffirms that the Naga people will not tolerate any infringement upon their ancestral land, freedom, or dignity. The continuing provocations by Kuki militants will only invite unavoidable consequences. The onus now lies with the Kuki leadership and their armed groups to restrain their cadres and respect peaceful co-existence,” the release said.
SANSA also condemned what it described as a “barbaric and unlawful act,” urging authorities to take “stringent measures” against the perpetrators and to ensure the safety of commuters along the Sinakeithei–Imphal route. The group warned that if such incidents continued unchecked, it would pursue “stronger courses of action in defense of the security and dignity of our people.”
“Such barbaric, cowardly, and unlawful acts against defenseless passengers are utterly intolerable and deserve the strongest condemnation. The lives, rights, and safety of the people must never be subjected to such intimidation and violence,” SANSA said.
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