NSF rejects Kuki-Zo statement on Naga killings

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has outrightly rejected a recent statement by the Kuki-Zo Council regarding the brutal killing of six Naga civilians, terming it a blatant attempt to divert attention from the “cold-blooded abduction, torture, and murder” of innocent people.
In a statement issued from its headquarters, the apex Naga student body expressed deep resentment over the “divisive and derogatory terminology” used by Kuki organisations, specifically the term “Kacha Naga” to classify the indigenous Naga populace.

“It is outrageous that organisations representing the Kuki-Zo community should seek to classify or redefine the identity of the indigenous Naga populace,” the NSF stated. The federation claimed that the historical presence of the Kuki community in the Naga homeland dates back barely a century to the British colonial period, when they were brought in as porters and coolies for administrative purposes.

The NSF slammed the deliberate attempts to compartmentalise Nagas into “Southern, Northern, Eastern, or Western” groups, calling it a malicious narrative propagated by aggressors to fragment and weaken the collective identity of the Naga people. “Our ancestral homeland may today be scattered by subjugation and militarisation, but no artificial frontier can alter our common history or shared destiny,” the statement added. Emphasising that the core issue is the loss of six innocent lives and the inhuman desecration of their bodies, the NSF reiterated that no carefully crafted statement or expression of regret could substitute for actual justice.

The student federation demanded that the Government of India immediately abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) arrangement with Kuki armed groups, alleging that countless atrocities and gross human rights violations have been committed with absolute impunity under the guise of this pact. The NSF further demanded that every individual responsible for the abductions and killings, including armed Kuki militants and civilian facilitators, must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted under the law.

Reiterating the Naga people’s stance on regional stability, the federation maintained that they desire neither conflict nor hostility with the Government of India, but wish to coexist peacefully with all neighbouring communities based on mutual respect.