Ukhrul ambush: Tangkhul Naga Long sets 3-day ultimatum, seeks NIA probe

Four Tangkhul Naga civilians, among them a mother and her son, were shot dead when gunmen ambushed two vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road (National Highway 202) in Manipur's Ukhrul district on Friday afternoon, November 13. A day later the community's apex body, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), gave the Centre and the state government three days to act on its demands. The families have refused to claim the bodies until then.

They were travelling from Ukhrul to Imphal when they were attacked in the New Heaven area of the highway, The New Indian Express and The Hindu reported. The state government has said the attackers were "unknown" armed men. Naga organisations have blamed Kuki militants. None of the reports mentions an arrest so far.

Who was killed

All four were from Ukhrul district. Every report names a mother and son, Kapangkhui RS and Haoleila RS. EastMojo says they were from Shangshak Khullen village and that the other two victims were siblings from Tashar village. The published reports spell the names of those two victims differently, so NEInsider is not naming them until the spelling is confirmed.

The bodies were brought to the mortuary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal on Saturday for post-mortem examination.

The ultimatum

The TNL announced the ultimatum after a meeting of Tangkhul Naga civil society organisations. Its demands are:

• Kuki militants must be removed from Naga-inhabited areas.
• The killings must be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• All central security forces posted on that stretch of the highway must be withdrawn. The TNL said the Naga people had "lost complete faith" in those forces.

"This is the fourth such incident at the same location. The entire responsibility for failing to protect the lives of innocent civilians is solely fixed upon State and Central governments," the TNL said, as quoted by The Hindu.

The statement said the families "resolved not to claim the bodies until then". If the demands are not met, it said, "the general public would be compelled to resort to an indefinite agitation until complete justice is delivered." The three days, counted from Saturday, run out around Tuesday, November 17.

The Economic Times reported that Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, a senior Naga leader, separately appealed for dialogue and reconciliation to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

What the government has done

Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh chaired a security review on Saturday. Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam, Chief Secretary Rajeev Singh Thakur, DGP Mukesh Singh and senior officers of the Assam Rifles, CRPF and BSF attended, according to a PTI report carried by ThePrint.

"It was decided that combing operations will continue to nab the culprits involved in various crimes. It was further decided that the respective security posts will have to strengthen security cover in their area of deployment," the government statement said. The government has not said whether it will hand the case to the NIA.

'Close range' attack worries leaders

Speaking at the JNIMS mortuary, Phungyar MLA Leishiyo Keishing of the NPF called the attack "barbaric and unforgivable". He pointed out that earlier highway ambushes had been carried out from long range, while this one was at close range. EastMojo reported that he also called for central forces to be replaced with state forces, saying most attacks had happened where central forces were deployed. He also warned that retaliation would only cost more innocent lives.

YK Dhiren, convenor of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), said the government had failed to protect ordinary people. He asked for security personnel on VIP and other non-essential duty to be moved to vulnerable stretches of the highways, Northeast Now reported. Hill Areas Committee chairman Dinganglung Gangmei spoke of "the hidden agenda of a proxy war", Ukhrul Times reported.

Why this road matters

NH-202 is the main road between Imphal and Ukhrul, the Tangkhul Naga heartland. The Ukhrul ambush came a day after a Kuki woman harvesting paddy was shot dead near Taphou Kuki village on the Kangpokpi-Senapati border. PTI, citing officials, put the toll from the two incidents at five.

The Ukhrul killings also deepen a Naga grievance that has been building for weeks. On November 5, the TNL and the Tangkhul frontal organisations, under the United Naga Council, held a mass rally in Ukhrul. It demanded an end to what they call a proxy war against Nagas and the withdrawal of the Assam Rifles from Naga areas. Separately, the bodies of six Naga men killed in Kangpokpi district have been in the same JNIMS mortuary since June. Their funeral is set for Monday, November 16.

What to watch

Watch for whether the Centre or the state agrees to an NIA probe before the deadline, whether the TNL announces an agitation on the Imphal-Ukhrul road, and whether any arrests follow the combing operations. NEInsider will update this story as these develop.