The United Naga Council (UNC) on Friday issued a strong rejoinder to a statement by the Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) dated May 19, saying the response ignored the substantive points raised by the UNC a day earlier and mischaracterised its concerns.
‘KOHUR missed the point’
In its rejoinder, the UNC accused KOHUR of branding the UNC’s May 18 statement as an “advocacy text” while, the UNC alleged, KOHUR itself engaged in similar advocacy “against Nagas with concocted narratives” that were “out of the context” of the original statement.
The UNC said it had expected a human-rights organisation to focus on immediate humanitarian concerns — particularly the safety and the safe exchange of captives reportedly held by both sides — rather than level unproven political allegations.
Allegations, counter-questions
The UNC criticised KOHUR for what it called a “strange conflation” of separate incidents: the killing sprees and attacks on Tangkhul Nagas, and the allegation that an ambush had been carried out by ZUF (K) and NSCN-IM.
“What reason or benefit, politically or otherwise, would the ZUF (K) and NSCN-IM gain by snuffing out the lives of late Dr. Sitlhou and his fellow reverends?” the UNC asked, urging KOHUR to “deeply and truthfully reflect” and suggesting that “the bullets and the guns were but yours only.”
May 13 ambush, hostage-taking
Recalling the May 13 ambush, the UNC said that “the Kukis turned a peaceful area into a conflict zone” by taking 20 Naga civilians hostage and killing an “innocent Chiru Naga” on the same day. The council said Nagas, in the interest of greater peace, had refrained from retaliatory action and instead relied on law enforcement and civil authorities to discharge their duties.
The UNC stressed that this restraint should not be mistaken for weakness.
KOHUR failing duty
The statement also accused KOHUR of failing in its “first duty” as a human-rights organisation by not condemning the killings of reverends and those injured in the violence, and by remaining silent over the reported hostage-taking. “Human Rights Organisation, which KOHUR claims to be one, fails in its first duty to condemn the gross violation of human rights and hence, unworthy to claim themselves as one,” the UNC said.
‘Prioritise safe release of captives’
The UNC said its rejoinder would not stray from the immediate humanitarian imperative — securing the release of Naga captives — and emphasised that the priority for Nagas at this “tumultuous moment” is to save lives and extend “the humane touch that society is crying out for.”
No response yet
As of Friday, there has been no public response from KOHUR to the UNC’s rejoinder. State authorities and police have not released an update on the status of the reported hostages or on any progress in investigations into the May 13 ambush and subsequent hostage-taking.