Ukhrul, Feb 20: The article titled Behind the Veil: Kuki’s Controversial Identity and the Conflict That Persists by Dirinamai Liangchi is not only riddled with historical inaccuracies but is a shameless attempt at propaganda. The author, whose grasp of history appears to be as weak as his moral compass, has presented a series of baseless allegations, outright fabrications, and laughable distortions of fact. His amateurish attempts to rewrite history and paint the Kukis as aggressors are nothing more than a feeble parroting of the anti-Kuki agenda peddled by Biren Singh and his puppet masters.
Let’s call this for what it is-xenophobic, fascist, and racist drivel dressed up as “historical analysis.”‘ The writer, likely some half-witted pawn of the Meitei supremacist establishment, has not even made an effort to verify his claims. He instead vomits out tired propaganda that has been manufactured by genocidal outfits like NSCN-IM to justify their crimes against Kukis. His lies are so blatant that even a high school student with internet access could debunk them in minutes. Yet, in his desperation to frame Kukis as outsiders, he clings to fabricated colonial documents and distorted statistics like a drowning rat grasping at straws.
1. The Kuki-Zo People: Indigenous and Historically Rooted in NE India: The claim that Kukis were “refugees brought by the British as porters and mercenaries” is a regurgitated lie that has been debunked countless times. The Kuki presence in the region predates British colonial rule by centuries. Historical records from the Tripura copper plates (641 CE, 1194 CE), the Tibetan historian Taranatha’s writings (1608), Cheitharol Kumbaba, Pemberton (1835), and McCulloch (1859) alt confirm the longstanding indigenous presence of the Kukis in the region.
Taranatha’s History of Buddhism in India (1608) refers to the highland inhabitants between Bengal and Burma as Ko-ki, meaning incarnate Buddhas, confirming a long association of Kukis in these regions. The Tripura copper plates (641 CE, 1194 CE) mention Kuki settlements, including the Hankula Kukis cultivating paddy, proving their presence over a millennium ago, Cheitharol Kumbaba (the royal chronicle of Manipur) records Kukis under different names-Khongjai, Khaki Haos, Khongchais, and Sairem-demonstrating their deep-rooted history in the region long before the British arrived.
Related | Behind the Veil: Kuki’s Controversial Identity and the Conflict That Persist (P-I)
Pemberton’s 1835 account clearly states that the Kuki ancestral land stretched from the southern borders of the Manipur valley to the northern Arakan ranges, proving Kukis were not immigrants but indigenous to the region. McCulloch (1859) explicitly noted that Kukis had distinct socio-political structures and had long existed in the hills of Manipur before the British even arrived.
Furthermore, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, officially lists Kukis as a recognized Scheduled Tribe across all Northeastern states of India except Arunachal Pradesh. If the Kukis were refugees, as the writer falsely claims, why did the Government of India recognize them as a Scheduled Tribe from the very beginning? The Kuki-Chin language group, named after the Kukis, further proves the antiquity of the Kuki identity, unlike artificial constructs like Zeliangrong that were manufactured only in recent decades.
The Standing Orders referenced by the writer are fabrications of NSCN-IM propaganda much like the fraudulent Konsakhul Land Deed- a document laughably claimed to be from the 1920s but drafted with a ballpoint pen, which wasn’t even available at the time. The NSCN-IM and their Meitei allies have a long history of fabricating documents to justify ethnic cleansing against Kukis, and this pathetic attempt is no different.
2. The Kuki People’s Political Representation Exposes the “Ilegal Migrant” Myth
The claim that Kukis were never politically significant before the 1980s is another outright lie. In the 1967 Territorial Legislative Assembly Elections, Kukis won 5 out of 9 tribal seats. Tengnoupal (ST)-Paokhohang (IND), Mao East (ST)- Shoukhothang (IND), Tamei (ST)-D. Kipgen (IND), Thanlon (ST)-Goukhenpao (INC), Churachandpur (ST)- Lalroukung (IND)
Ref: (https://www.elections.in/manipur/assembly-constituencies/1967-election-results.html)
In the 1974 Assembly Elections, Kukis won 8 out of 19 tribal seats: Saikul (ST)- Shonkhothang (INC), Saitu (ST)- Zampu (KNA), Tipaimukh (ST)-Ngurdinglien (INC), Thanlon (ST)-N. Gouzagin (MHU), Henglep (ST)-Holkhomang (INC), Churachandpur (ST) – Haukholal Thangjom (MHU), Saikot (ST)-Ngulkhohao (KNA), Singhat (GEN)-Gougin (MHU)
Ref: (https://www.elections.in/manipur/assembly-constituencies/1974-election-results.html)
In the 1980 Assembly Elections, Kukis won 8 out of 19 tribal seats: Tengnoupal (ST) – Jainson Haokip (KNA), Saikul (ST)-Hoikholet Khongsai (INC-U), Tipaimukh (ST)- Ngurdinglien (INC-I), Thanion (ST)-Phungzathang (INC-I), Henglep (ST)-Holkhomang (IND), Churachandpur (ST)- K. Vungzalian (IND), Saikot (ST)- Ngulkhohau (IND), and Singhat (ST) -Thangkhanlal (INC-I)
Ref: (https://www.elections.in/manipur/assembly-constituencies/1980-election-results.html)
Furthermore, D. Kipgen, a Kuki leader, was elected from Tamei (Tamenglong) before the NSCN-IM systematically expelled Kukis from the region. The same pattern is visible in Ukhrul and Senapati, where Kuki populations drastically declined due to forced displacement.
Related | Behind the Veil: Kuki’s Controversial Identity and the Conflict That Persist (P-II)
3. The Kuki-Zo People of 2025 Will Not Be Silenced.
The days of NSCN-IM manufacturing documents, spreading propaganda, and misleading historical narratives about the Kukis to justify their crimes are over. The Kukis of the 1990s may have been silenced, but the Kukis of 2025 will not tolerate these insults and propaganda. Every claim, every fabricated document, and every racist attack can and will be fact-checked, exposed, and dismantled in real time. The era where NSCN-IM and its sympathizers could manipulate history unchecked has ended.
Young Kuki will proceed with legal actions against the writer for his deliberate spread of misinformation, incitement, and racist propaganda. Let this serve as a warning to all who think they can continue fabricating lies and distorting the history of the Kuki people. The writer has been caught red-handed fabricating history, and his entire article is nothing more than a Meitei-sponsored fairy tale. His xenophobic, fascist, and racist drivel exposes the deep-seated hatred he holds for the Kuki-Zo people. A failed propagandist, a willing mouthpiece for genocidal elements, and an embarrassment to any legitimate historian—this writer deserves no credibility.
The Kuki people demand justice, not propaganda. And we will not be silenced.
This is a rebuttal of the Young Kuki issued on February 19, 2025.
(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ukhrul Times. Ukhrul Times values and encourages diverse perspectives.)
Note: Dirinamai Liangchi response will be published on February 21, 2025 in this news portal.
Also read | FIDAM Urges Justice for Victims of Enforced Disappearances in Manipur
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