IMPHAL/UKHRUL: Manipur deputy chief minister Losii Dikho on Saturday urged his Cabinet colleague Nemcha Kipgen to ask her husband, Thangboi Kipgen, president of the Kuki National Front (President)(KNF-P), a signatory faction to the Suspensioin of Operation agreement with the central and state governments, and his cadres to stop the alleged attacks and killings of Naga civilians, amid growing concerns over the recent violence in Manipur the hill districts.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a climate-resilient springshed conclave in Imphal, Dikho said the state government and the people wanted Nemcha Kipgen to discharge her official responsibilities from Imphal. However, he stressed that she should also ensure that the alleged violence against Naga civilians comes to an end.
His remarks follow reports of the killing of at least seven Naga civilians, including a Nepali national, in ambushes in Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts on October 10.
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The controversy has also fuelled demands from Naga legislators, including Dikho, for Nemcha Kipgen’s removal from the state Cabinet. They have alleged that her husband has links with armed groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
Naga legislators have further accused SoO-linked groups of involvement in the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district in June.
The allegations against Thangboi Kipgen and the alleged involvement of armed groups in the killings have not been independently verified.
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