UKHRUL: Laho/Litan Village authorities have issued a clarification addressing what they describe as misleading narratives circulating on social media regarding the alleged cutting of a water pipeline supplying nearby areas.
According to the statement, widely shared videos claiming that Tangkhul villagers severed water supply to Kuki villages are “entirely false and malicious.” The authorities clarified that Laho/Leingangching Village does not supply water to any Kuki villages in or around Litan, and warned that such misrepresentations risk escalating tensions in an already sensitive environment.
The statement further explained that the water supply in question was directed exclusively to an Assam Rifles camp located within the village. This arrangement, it said, was extended purely on humanitarian grounds and was not governed by any formal or binding agreement. Village authorities emphasized that the continuation of this supply has always been subject to their discretion.
Providing context to the recent disruption, the statement referred to developments on April 21, 2026, when personnel from the 8 Bihar Regiment and Assam Rifles reportedly conducted operations in the area. During the course of these operations, firing incidents allegedly affected local Tangkhul Naga civilians and led to the destruction of certain defensive structures.
In previous cases, women have also accused security personnel of using tear gas during peaceful protests. In another incident, they alleged being lathi-charged without warning leaving eight women gravely injured and admitted to Ukhrul District hospital.
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In a press statement dated April 21, Leingangching/Laho Litan Village Authority condemned the “calculated, illegal and biased operations conducted by 8th Bihar Regiment and Assam Rifles in the vicinity of Litan waterfall.” It claimed that the Litan Police, who hold the statutory mandate for law and order was not provided with prior information for coordination, undermining the state’s internal security.
In the aftermath, a section of the local population cut off the water pipeline, an act described as a direct response to the preceding events.
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The authorities also reiterated that, under Tangkhul customary law, village bodies retain full control over local resources, including the authority to regulate or discontinue water supply, subject to prior notice. Despite this, they noted that the village had continued to provide water in good faith to support peace and humanitarian needs.
Concluding the statement, the village authorities urged individuals and groups to refrain from spreading unverified information, stressing that misinformation is contributing to heightened tensions. They called for responsible conduct and impartial action from all stakeholders to maintain stability in the region.
The statement underscored that cooperation from local communities has been driven by a commitment to peace, and expressed hope that this objective would be upheld moving forward.