Guwahati: The Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers (KZVV), Western Command, has issued a strongly worded press statement asserting that the recent release of fourteen abducted civilians should not be celebrated as an extraordinary humanitarian gesture, but rather seen as the bare minimum expected in any civilised society.
In the statement issued today by its Information and Publicity Wing, the KZVV welcomed the safe release of the abducted civilians, while simultaneously questioning the moral justification behind the abduction itself. The organisation stated that innocent civilians should never be taken hostage under any circumstances and argued that releasing them merely corrected an act that should never have occurred.
“Releasing civilians who should never have been abducted in the first place is not an act of extraordinary virtue—it is the bare minimum expected of any society claiming to uphold moral principles,” the statement read.
The KZVV further criticised what it described as selective outrage and “performative humanitarianism” by certain groups that now speak of “war ethics” and moral values. It questioned where such principles were when innocent Kuki-Zo civilians were allegedly being killed repeatedly over the past several months.
According to the statement, from March to June 2026 alone, twelve Kuki-Zo individuals, including an unborn child, lost their lives in incidents allegedly linked to Naga assailants. The organisation stated that the victims included ordinary villagers, pastors, fathers, mothers, and civilians whose deaths, it claimed, did not receive adequate public condemnation.
The press statement also revisited the March 12, 2026 killing of two Kuki-Zo villagers — Thangboimang Lunkim and Thenkhogin Baite — who were allegedly captured and murdered by the NSCN Eastern Flank while carrying out farming activities and repairing a community water supply line.
Referring to the aftermath of that incident, the KZVV stated that Kuki-Zo villagers had detained 21 Tangkhul civilians in response to the killings. However, it emphasised that all detainees were released unharmed within twelve hours, which it described as evidence of restraint and humanitarian consideration exercised by the Kuki-Zo community despite heightened public anger.
The organisation also highlighted the killing of three Christian clergymen — Rev. V. Sithlhou, Pastor Paogoulen, and Rev. Kaigoulen — on May 13, 2026, describing the incident as particularly painful for the community. Despite widespread anger and demands for retaliation following the killings, the KZVV claimed that Kuki civil society organisations ensured the safe movement of thousands of Naga travellers along National Highway-1 and facilitated the release of detained individuals to prevent further escalation.
The KZVV further argued that justice and compassion cannot be selective or limited to one particular community. It warned that continued attacks against Kuki-Zo civilians would no longer be met with silence and asserted that any future aggression directed at the community would receive a “firm and proportionate response.”
The organisation appealed to all concerned groups and authorities to acknowledge every innocent life lost irrespective of community affiliation and to pursue justice without fear, favour, or selective outrage. It asserted that morality loses its meaning when applied selectively, describing such conduct as “hypocrisy disguised as virtue.”
