Imphal, Sep 11 — Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, the lone Naga minister in the state Cabinet, on Friday said he would not attend the Cabinet meeting, days after Naga MLAs boycotted the recent Assembly session, citing the “denial of justice” to the community amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state.
Dikho alleged that the Naga people continue to “bear the brunt of the violence from the Kuki militants”, and said he would not participate in the Cabinet meeting until justice is delivered.
Two days before the recent Manipur Assembly session, nine Naga legislators, including Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take immediate action against Kuki-Zo militant leaders.
Deputy CM Dikho has clarified that he decided to abstain from attending the Cabinet Meeting in accordance with the collective wishes and understanding of the Naga Legislators’ Forum.
Dikho’s decision follows the participation of fellow Deputy Chief Minister, Nemcha Kipgen, in the cabinet meeting. Kipgen belongs to the Thadou tribe, which is part of the broader Kuki-Zo community in Manipur.
Deputy CM Dikho maintained that the decision has been taken after careful consideration and in deference to the collective understanding and sentiments of the Naga Legislators’ Forum.
“As justice is still denied and the Naga people continue to bear the brunt of the violence from the Kuki Militants led by self-styled Gen 'Tiger' Kipgen (husband of Nemcha Kipgen), the mastermind who perpetrated the killing and mutilation of the six innocent Naga citizens whose bodies are still lying unclaimed in the morgue,” he stated.
Dikho, in a statement, said that it is very painful to see that the very person who has sworn and taken the oath of office and secrecy to protect the Constitution, “the rule of law and the security of innocent citizens has breached all this by sharing all state secrets and colluding with her husband Thangboi Kipgen, who is the head of the Militant group Kuki National Front (KNF-P)”.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh earlier said that on May 13, three pastors were killed in an ambush by unidentified persons and around 18 people were subsequently captured at Leilon Vaiphei village by suspected Kuki militants. Of the 18 people, 12 were later released while six (all Naga villagers) were abducted. Their bodies were subsequently recovered.
Chief Minister Singh had announced that the cases relating to the abduction and killing of the six Naga villagers, along with the murder of three church leaders in Kangpokpi district on May 13, had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a comprehensive investigation.
The Nine Naga legislators, in their recent letter to the Union Home Minister, also demanded the arrest of those whom they alleged were involved in the killing and dismemberment of six Naga men, and demanded the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups.
“The situation in Manipur had reached a 'critical and volatile stage', the letter said and warned that any failure to take “unbiased, decisive and bold action” could push the state into an uncontrollable situation.
The appeal came days after four Naga men were killed in an ambush on the IT Road in Kangpokpi district on August 27. The legislators linked the latest killings to what they described as a series of attacks on Naga civilians and villages, alleging that justice had not been delivered in earlier cases.
The legislators urged the Union Home Minister to order the immediate arrest of Kuki-Zo leaders whom they alleged had publicly claimed responsibility for the killing and dismemberment of the six Naga men. They specifically sought the arrest of Thangboi Kipgen of the Kuki National Front (KNF-P) outfit, alleging that cadres of the group, led by a self-styled “Gen Tiger” Kipgen, were responsible for the killings.