UNC petitions Bhalla to dismiss Nemcha Kipgen

    22-Jul-2026
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Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, Jul 21: The United Naga Council (UNC) has petitioned Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to dismiss Nemcha Kipgen from the office of the Deputy Chief Minister.
The petition sent through the Deputy Commissioner of Senapati today sought immediate attention of the Governor to the alleged severe and continuing subversion of the Constitution of India, specifically regarding a paramount conflict of interest within the highest echelons of the State Cabinet that is currently paralysing the administration of criminal justice.
The UNC petition formally requested the invocation of the Governor's Constitutional prerogative under Article 164(1) of the Constitution of India to remove Nemcha Kipgen from the office of Deputy Chief Minister on the strict legal grounds of institutional compromise and the breach of Constitutional morality.
The UNC said the law enforcement apparatus of Manipur is currently investigating a series of "premeditated abductions and subsequent extrajudicial killings of six unarmed Naga civilians that occurred on May 13, 2026 at Leilon Vaiphei village".
The UNC petition mentioned that these offences are formally registered under a Zero FIR at Sekmai police station before the same was transferred to the Gamnom Sapermaina police station.
The investigating agencies have explicitly invoked Section 16(1)(b) of the Unlawful Activities (Preven- tion) Act [UA(P)A), officially classifying these acts as terrorism, it added.
The UNC asserted that the primary organization accused of executing these UA(P)A offences is the Kuki National Front-President (KNF-P), operating under the umbrella of the United Peoples' Front (UPF).
On the "structural conflict of interest", the UNC said the integrity of the State's executive and investigative machinery is fundamentally nullified by an undeniable familial and operational nexus at the Cabinet level.
Citing the command structure, the UNC said the chairman of the UPF and president of the KNF-P, "the exact organization legally implicated in the aforementioned UA(P)A FIR", is ST Thangboi Kipgen.
On the alleged Cabinet nexus, the UNC said ST Thangboi Kipgen is the spouse of Nemcha Kipgen, the sitting Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur.
Citing the jurisdictional overlap, the UNC said the jurisdictional domain where these acts of terror and abductions were orchestrated falls directly within her political Constituency and administrative sphere of influence.
On the subversion of Constitutional oath and morality, the UNC said that under the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India, a Minister swears an oath to "do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”
The UNC said it the State Police and allied intelligence agencies cannot conduct an impartial, unhindered investigation into a designated narco-terrorist organization when the spouse of the organization's supreme commander holds the office of the Deputy Chief Minister.
"It provides institutional shield to the KNF-P, thereby subverting the rule of law, undermining the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) operational independence within the State, and entirely eroding public trust in the democratic apparatus", the UNC added.
The UNC then prayed for Constitutional action.
It said the doctrine of constitutional morality dictates that individuals holding high public office must be entirely free from conflicts that jeopardize the security of the State and the fundamental rights of its citizens.
The presence of Nemcha Kipgen in the Council of Ministers is legally and morally irreconcilable with an active UA(P)A investigation into her spouse's organization, the Naga body pointed out.
"Because the executive head of the State has failed to rectify this constitutional breakdown following our June 12, 2026, submission, the United Naga Council formally petitions your office to exercise your constitutional discretion under Article 164(1) of the Constitution to secure the immediate dismissal of Mrs. Nemcha Kipgen from the Council of Ministers".
The UNC also said it petitioned the Governor to restore the constitutional machinery of the State, enabling free, fair, and politically uncompromised investigation into the UA(P)A-designated murders of the six Naga civilians
. Further, the UNC urged to address its charter of demands dated June 12, 2026. "We rely upon your office to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution and secure justice for the aggrieved", the UNC added.