Taking the art of lying to a new high Found in bones and rotting flesh
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They kill, they lie. And they have taken the art of lying to a new high. It was some time back, when the demand that the six abducted Naga men be released that the grand, old organisation of the Kuki people, christened the Kuki Inpi, Manipur issued a public statement that all the Naga people have been released and they have no idea on the whereabouts of the said six Naga men. And aiding them in the art of lying is obviously the great security force of India, which suddenly became so adept in ‘jungle search’ that the remains of the six Naga men were recovered just a day after the 14 Kuki men were released. Revisit May 13, 2026 and go to Leilon Vaiphei village. As news of the dastardly killing of three Thadou Church leaders went viral on the social media, complete with pictures of the bullet riddled bodies, 18 Naga people were accosted by village folks including women at Leilon Vaiphei village and handed over to Kuki militants. Of the 18 Naga people, women and a child were released while the men were taken away. As news of the abduction of the Naga people spread, the 14 Kuki people were amongst those rounded up and detained. It was during the intense demands and probably negotiation that KIM came out with the bombastic claim that all the abducted Naga people have been freed and they have no idea about the six missing Naga men. This is precisely the reason why The Sangai Express had suggested that leaders or members of KIM should be pulled up and questioned for they seemed to know something more about the abducted people than the average Kuki men and women one would find on the roads of Kangpokpi or Leilon Vaiphei village. After KIM’s bombastic claim, came the next round of lies, lies which came camouflaged under the garb that additional forces which had arrived here were on the search with no sign that the abducted men would be rescued anytime. Just 24 hours before the skeletal remains were discovered, the six Naga men had the tag ‘missing’. The pattern is apparent to even the cursory onlooker. The skeletal remains were handed over only after the 14 Kuki men were released. So it was a sort of an exchange-an exchange of six skeletal remains for 14 alive and kicking men. How well this would have gone down with the people of Konsakhul, particularly the family members of the six butchered men, is anybody’s guess but this will certainly not go down well with the image of the Naga people as a community. As things stand right now, tongues are wagging and the waggings have come not from anyone else but the Naga people on whose behalf the UNC exists.
Looking back at Manipur after May 3, 2023, perhaps the only comfort Konsakhul and the bereaved family members may get is the fact that the skeletal remains of the six men have been found. Something which has not happened in the case of the 32 missing Meitei men and women. Master in the art of lying and making bodies disappear for good, is the line that comes to mind. As noted in an earlier commentary here, it is more than obvious that the 14 Kuki detainees were released after the intervention of the Union Home Ministry, the Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya and this is where one can surmise that the ‘release’ and the ‘recovery of the skeletal remains’ were secured as some sort of an ‘exchange programme’. The only difference being the 14 Kuki men were released hale and hearty while only bones were there to represent the 6 Naga men. To the indifferent onlooker, the ‘hostage’ drama would have lived up to all the ‘thrills’ and ‘excitement’ of a B Grade Bollywood flick, but to the people of Manipur and Konsakhul and the family members of the six Naga men, this is unacceptable. To add salt to injury, the Kuki Inpi, Manipur has gone ahead and expressed shock and dismay over the recovery of the skeletal remains. This is where the opening line of taking the art of lying to a new high becomes significant. An art they have been indulging in with much dexterity and expertise since the evening of May 3, 2023. Why not play the victim card in this case too, an apt question to KIM.
Looking back at Manipur after May 3, 2023, perhaps the only comfort Konsakhul and the bereaved family members may get is the fact that the skeletal remains of the six men have been found. Something which has not happened in the case of the 32 missing Meitei men and women. Master in the art of lying and making bodies disappear for good, is the line that comes to mind. As noted in an earlier commentary here, it is more than obvious that the 14 Kuki detainees were released after the intervention of the Union Home Ministry, the Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya and this is where one can surmise that the ‘release’ and the ‘recovery of the skeletal remains’ were secured as some sort of an ‘exchange programme’. The only difference being the 14 Kuki men were released hale and hearty while only bones were there to represent the 6 Naga men. To the indifferent onlooker, the ‘hostage’ drama would have lived up to all the ‘thrills’ and ‘excitement’ of a B Grade Bollywood flick, but to the people of Manipur and Konsakhul and the family members of the six Naga men, this is unacceptable. To add salt to injury, the Kuki Inpi, Manipur has gone ahead and expressed shock and dismay over the recovery of the skeletal remains. This is where the opening line of taking the art of lying to a new high becomes significant. An art they have been indulging in with much dexterity and expertise since the evening of May 3, 2023. Why not play the victim card in this case too, an apt question to KIM.