Kuki Inpi Manipur Rejects TNL Statement and Defends Journalist Tony Singsit, Calls for Truth and Accountability
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) rejects the Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long’s (TNL) recent statement targeting journalist Tony Singsit, describing it as misleading and diversionary. KIM defends the journalist’s credibility and states that his reporting reflects ground realities. The organisation asserts that the core issue stems from an escalated incident between individuals that was wrongly amplified into wider communal tension, and criticizes attempts to shift focus toward land ownership narratives. KIM further reiterates its position that land systems in Manipur are historically shared and governed under established chieftainship structures, rejecting claims of exclusive ownership and allegations portraying Kukis as outsiders.
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) categorically rejects the false, misleading, and diversionary narrative put forward by the Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) in its recent press statement targeting Mr. Tony Singsit.
At the outset, KIM states that Mr. Tony Singsit is a qualified journalist and reporter who has consistently covered socio-political developments in Northeast India with credibility. His statements on Zonet are grounded in facts emerging from the ground and reflect the realities of the situation. Attempts to discredit him personally are viewed as an effort to suppress uncomfortable truths.
KIM asserts that the TNL statement fails to address the core issue. According to the organisation, what began as a drunken brawl between individuals from the Tangkhul and Kuki communities was irresponsibly escalated into a broader conflict situation by sections of Tangkhul leadership and affiliated elements. KIM states that this escalation is the root cause of the present tension, yet has not been acknowledged by TNL.
Instead of addressing the sequence of events, KIM alleges that TNL has introduced unrelated land narratives in an attempt to shift focus and mislead the public. The organisation states that the issue at hand concerns violence, loss of life, and targeted attacks, not manufactured land claims.
KIM further states that there is no basis for assertions of exclusive land ownership as projected by TNL. It asserts that settlement histories in regions such as Ukhrul district are overlapping, with some villages historically settled by Kukis and others by Tangkhuls, reflecting shared habitation patterns rather than exclusivity. The organisation also reiterates that Kuki villages operate under a chieftainship system in which land ownership is vested in village chiefs, a system historically recognized from the British colonial period to the present constitutional framework in Manipur.
KIM describes the arguments presented by TNL as a pattern of deflection aimed at avoiding accountability and reframing the issue to suit a predetermined narrative. It states that such approaches deepen mistrust and obstruct peace efforts.
The organisation reiterates that facts cannot be obscured by rhetoric and that the sequence of events, escalation of violence, and targeting of Kuki villages remain documented. It rejects attempts to label Kukis as outsiders in their ancestral lands, describing such claims as historically inaccurate and dangerous.
Kuki Inpi calls on authorities and the public to reject diversionary narratives and focus on verified facts. It emphasizes that peace cannot be built on distortion and accountability cannot be avoided through propaganda.
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