Kangpokpi: The Kuki Students’ Organisation, Sadar Hills (KSO-SH) on Sunday levelled serious allegations against the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Senapati and the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Senapati Police Station, accusing them of gross negligence and alleged collusion in the abduction of 14 Kuki-Zo civilians, including three students, following the killing of three Kuki-Zo Church leaders on May 13.
In a strongly worded statement, KSO-SH claimed that 25 civilians from Taphou Kuki villages were escorted out of Senapati town by Senapati Police personnel under the supervision of the SP and OC, allegedly for their safety. However, the organisation alleged that the civilians were later abandoned near Senapati town and subsequently intercepted by assailants and members of the Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA), barely a kilometre away from both the police station and the SP’s office.
Describing the incident as a “complete breakdown of law enforcement,” the student body alleged that the hostages were moved openly through Senapati Bazar and past the police station without any intervention from the authorities.
KSO-SH stated that the alleged abandonment of civilians under police escort has severely eroded public trust and raised widespread suspicion regarding the role of certain police officials in the incident.
Among the 14 hostages, KSO-SH identified three students as Sehminhao Chongloi of Guinchu Coaching Institute, Hengunsei Khongsai, a Class XI student of Young Pillars College in Churachandpur, and Tonggoulen Chongloi, a Class XII Commerce student of Eklavya Model Residential School, Kangpokpi. The organisation described their continued captivity as a grave threat to the educational future and safety of Kuki-Zo youths.
The organisation also accused SDSA of betraying prior understandings between student bodies aimed at ensuring the safety of students during the ongoing unrest. It condemned the alleged involvement of a student organisation in hostage-taking, asserting that innocent students should not be used for political or militant purposes.
Further, KSO-SH alleged that both SDSA and the United Naga Council (UNC) were attempting to shield those responsible for the May 13 killings through what it termed a “fabricated hostage narrative.”
The student body additionally blamed the proscribed NSCN-IM and its alleged proxy Kamson faction for the killing of the three Church leaders, warning that continued silence or inaction by the authorities, particularly the Senapati district police, would amount to complicity.
Issuing a 48-hour ultimatum, KSO-SH demanded the immediate removal of the Senapati SP and the OC of Senapati Police Station, along with the unconditional and safe release of all 14 hostages.
The organisation warned that if the hostages, including the three students, are not released unharmed, it would launch intensified democratic agitations that could disrupt normal public life across the region.
Reiterating its commitment to the safety and dignity of Kuki-Zo students, KSO-SH stated that it would continue its movement until all hostages are safely released and justice is delivered.
