Imphal: The Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) has called for a central-level investigation by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs into the recent fatal ambush at TM Kasom, while denying any involvement in the incident.
The outfit, which has been under a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement since 2008, accused former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh of using social media to spread what it described as misleading narratives about the incident, alleging that the move could heighten ethnic tensions and divert attention from governance failures.
In a statement signed by its information and publicity secretary, the KRA said it continued to abide by the ground rules of the tripartite ceasefire agreement, claiming that its cadres remained confined to designated camps. It described the killing of Sandeep Rai, a civilian from the Nepali community, as a tragic incident that was being investigated by security agencies.
The outfit maintained that no official agency had publicly identified any organisation as responsible for the ambush. It criticised Singh’s social media allegations as premature and inflammatory, arguing that accusations made before the investigation concludes could aggravate tensions.
Rejecting Singh’s claim that violence was spreading into previously unaffected areas, including Ukhrul district, the KRA said it did not target neutral minority communities. It also cited what it described as its peaceful coexistence with the Gorkha/Nepali population.
The outfit further alleged that the accusations against it were intended to create public support for renewed military action against Kuki villages while diverting attention from what it termed covert, state-backed actors operating in the hill districts. These allegations could not be independently verified.
The KRA also criticised Singh’s remarks on the deterioration of law and order in Manipur, blaming the former chief minister’s administration for contributing to the state’s current situation. It alleged that the previous government had focused on suppressing online criticism rather than pursuing meaningful conflict resolution.
The outfit urged political leaders to refrain from what it called propaganda that could undermine peace efforts and called for an impartial investigation into the TM Kasom ambush to establish responsibility for the killing.