The Crossbill News Desk
Signs of calm began to return to parts of Manipur’s hill districts on Saturday (February 7) after two days of intense protests in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas over the decision of three legislators from the community to join the state’s newly constituted government.
The legislators have faced sharp backlash for going against a stand adopted by Kuki-Zo civil society organisations, triggering a two-day agitation marked by shutdowns, rallies and sporadic violence.
The protests underscored the persistence of ethnic tensions in the state following the 2023 conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. By Saturday, reports indicated that conditions in the hill regions were gradually improving.
A 24-hour shutdown called by the Kuki Students’ Organisation was observed in Churachandpur district on February 6, after a more volatile bandh the previous day that saw incidents of arson and clashes with security forces, according to The Hindu.
Protesters blocked highways connecting Imphal to Mizoram and damaged vehicles, while businesses, educational institutions and public transport services remained shut, Hindustan Times reported.
The agitation was directed against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, former director general of police L.M. Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate, all Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs who have joined the new government led by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
Demonstrators burnt effigies of the three leaders in Churachandpur and other towns, accusing them of “betrayal” for participating in government formation without securing assurances on the long-standing Kuki-Zo demand for a separate administration on the lines of a Union Territory, The Telegraph reported.
The Kuki-Zo Council, the apex body of the community, backed the shutdown and announced a social boycott of the three MLAs, stating that their decision ignored collective resolutions and the suffering endured since ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023. More than 260 people were killed and around 62,000 displaced during the conflict. In contrast, four Kuki-Zo MLAs who declined to join the government were publicly felicitated in Churachandpur district.
Security was tightened around the residences of the three legislators, even as the Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Committee (ITAC) of Pherzawl and Jiribam districts cautioned against any harm to Sanate, asserting his constitutional legitimacy as an elected representative, The Hindu reported.
“Ngursanglur Sanate is the legitimate and constitutional representative of the ITAC jurisdictional area… Any attempt to demean, intimidate, threaten or cause harm to Ngursanglur Sanate in any manner, as well as vandalisation, destruction, or stealing and robbing of his properties, shall be viewed as deliberately disrespecting the collective stand of the tribal populace of Pherzawl and Jiribam areas,” ITAC said in a statement.
While ITAC is politically and socially aligned with the Kuki-Zo community, the districts of Jiribam and Pherzawl have mixed populations and are geographically closer to Naga-inhabited areas of the state. Community leaders and church groups in Kangpokpi district reiterated that they would not support the new government until the demand for separate administration is addressed.
The Union government, meanwhile, sought to play down the unrest, describing it as temporary political posturing rather than a sustained governance challenge.
Officials in New Delhi told The Indian Express that dialogue with Kuki groups was continuing and expressed confidence that the situation would stabilise in the coming days as the elected government begins functioning after a prolonged period of President’s Rule.
Officials familiar with the discussions said the decision of the Kuki-Zo MLAs to join the government followed consultations held since September with the Kuki National Organisation and the umbrella group United People’s Front, both of which are parties to a Suspension of Operations agreement with the Union government.
Notably, these groups have not issued public statements criticising the MLAs who joined the government, even as civil society organisations have voiced strong grassroots opposition.
Further, Kipgen, the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister, is married to S.T. Thangboi Kipgen, the chief of the KNO, highlighting a divergence between local sentiment on the ground and the position taken by a section of the Kuki-Zo leadership.
The legislators have faced sharp backlash for going against a stand adopted by Kuki-Zo civil society organisations, triggering a two-day agitation marked by shutdowns, rallies and sporadic violence.
The protests underscored the persistence of ethnic tensions in the state following the 2023 conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. By Saturday, reports indicated that conditions in the hill regions were gradually improving.
A 24-hour shutdown called by the Kuki Students’ Organisation was observed in Churachandpur district on February 6, after a more volatile bandh the previous day that saw incidents of arson and clashes with security forces, according to The Hindu.
Protesters blocked highways connecting Imphal to Mizoram and damaged vehicles, while businesses, educational institutions and public transport services remained shut, Hindustan Times reported.
The agitation was directed against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, former director general of police L.M. Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate, all Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs who have joined the new government led by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
Demonstrators burnt effigies of the three leaders in Churachandpur and other towns, accusing them of “betrayal” for participating in government formation without securing assurances on the long-standing Kuki-Zo demand for a separate administration on the lines of a Union Territory, The Telegraph reported.
The Kuki-Zo Council, the apex body of the community, backed the shutdown and announced a social boycott of the three MLAs, stating that their decision ignored collective resolutions and the suffering endured since ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023. More than 260 people were killed and around 62,000 displaced during the conflict. In contrast, four Kuki-Zo MLAs who declined to join the government were publicly felicitated in Churachandpur district.
Security was tightened around the residences of the three legislators, even as the Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Committee (ITAC) of Pherzawl and Jiribam districts cautioned against any harm to Sanate, asserting his constitutional legitimacy as an elected representative, The Hindu reported.
“Ngursanglur Sanate is the legitimate and constitutional representative of the ITAC jurisdictional area… Any attempt to demean, intimidate, threaten or cause harm to Ngursanglur Sanate in any manner, as well as vandalisation, destruction, or stealing and robbing of his properties, shall be viewed as deliberately disrespecting the collective stand of the tribal populace of Pherzawl and Jiribam areas,” ITAC said in a statement.
While ITAC is politically and socially aligned with the Kuki-Zo community, the districts of Jiribam and Pherzawl have mixed populations and are geographically closer to Naga-inhabited areas of the state. Community leaders and church groups in Kangpokpi district reiterated that they would not support the new government until the demand for separate administration is addressed.
The Union government, meanwhile, sought to play down the unrest, describing it as temporary political posturing rather than a sustained governance challenge.
Officials in New Delhi told The Indian Express that dialogue with Kuki groups was continuing and expressed confidence that the situation would stabilise in the coming days as the elected government begins functioning after a prolonged period of President’s Rule.
Officials familiar with the discussions said the decision of the Kuki-Zo MLAs to join the government followed consultations held since September with the Kuki National Organisation and the umbrella group United People’s Front, both of which are parties to a Suspension of Operations agreement with the Union government.
Notably, these groups have not issued public statements criticising the MLAs who joined the government, even as civil society organisations have voiced strong grassroots opposition.
Further, Kipgen, the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister, is married to S.T. Thangboi Kipgen, the chief of the KNO, highlighting a divergence between local sentiment on the ground and the position taken by a section of the Kuki-Zo leadership.
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