Newmai said the legislators could not accept the Home Minister’s clarification that police personnel and the village chief were not involved in the incident
KRC TIMES Manipur Bureau
IMPHAL | Nine Naga legislators in Manipur on Monday boycotted the final sitting of the eighth session of the 12th state Assembly, protesting the government’s handling of the Leilon Vaiphei killings and demanding the immediate removal or suspension of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen pending completion of the investigation.
The protest cut across party lines, with the legislators objecting to the Home Minister’s statement in the Assembly that police personnel and the Leilon Vaiphei village chief were not involved in the May 13 incident.
The MLAs alleged that Kipgen’s husband was named as the prime accused in the case. The allegations have not been established by an investigation. Six Naga civilians were killed in the incident following the abduction of 18 people from Leilon Vaiphei, according to the report.
Addressing a press conference at the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho in Lamphel, Naga People’s Front (NPF) Manipur unit president Awangbou Newmai criticised the government over what he described as a four-month delay in delivering justice.
Newmai said the legislators could not accept the Home Minister’s clarification that police personnel and the village chief were not involved in the incident.
He cited accounts of people who were abducted and subsequently released, claiming that their statements contradicted the government’s position. Newmai also claimed that individuals named in the FIR, including the village chief, remained at large. He further alleged that the bodies of the victims bore signs of mutilation.
Dikho said the boycott was not aimed at rebelling against the state leadership but was intended to press for accountability and a thorough investigation into the killings.
He said the Naga community had maintained restraint during the wider ethnic conflict in Manipur and referred to earlier humanitarian initiatives, including the release of 14 Kuki detainees, which he said had been appreciated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Both Newmai and Dikho said the Naga community’s patience had run out over the lack of visible progress in the investigation. The legislators’ boycott came as the Assembly concluded its latest session amid renewed demands for accountability over the Leilon Vaiphei killings.
