CoTU stages massive protest at Gamgiphai Buffer Zone, alleges attempt to divide hill areas and seeks deployment of CAPF in vulnerable districts
By Nengcha Haokip
Kanggui, July 5, 2026: Thousands of members of the Kuki community gathered at the Gamgiphai Buffer Zone in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Saturday for a massive peaceful protest rally. The demonstration was organised under the aegis of the Committee on Tribal Unity, CoTU, against what organisers called a systematic campaign to destabilise the hill areas.
The march began from Taloulong Damdei and moved along National Highway-2 before culminating at Gamgiphai Buffer Zone. Protesters carried a large banner and placards, and raised slogans demanding stronger government action. Security forces maintained a heavy presence throughout the rally, which concluded without incident.
At the centre of the protest were allegations against the Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM and the Zeliangrong United Front. Speakers and banners accused the two groups of orchestrating recent attacks on Kuki villages in the hill districts. Slogans such as “Clamp Down on NSCN-IM & ZUF: Secessionist Terrorists” and “Stop Balkanization of the Hill Country” were prominently displayed.
The demonstrators also raised concerns over what they described as selective action by authorities. Placards read “Stop Selective Action,” “Where are the CAPF in Kamjong and Tamenglong?” and “Few Hoodlums are Controlling the State Security.” Participants demanded equal protection under law and immediate deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in areas they said were most vulnerable.
Addressing the media during the rally, CoTU spokesperson Ng. Lun Kipgen alleged that government policies were appearing to favour one community over another. He said such an approach risked undermining constitutional values and national unity in the state.
Kipgen linked the current tension to recent incidents in the hills. He cited attacks reported at Phaimol in Kamjong district on July 1 and at Leikot in Tamenglong district on July 2. According to him, these incidents were part of a design to provoke retaliation and widen divisions between communities in the hills.
The CoTU leader further claimed that armed groups were operating with impunity in certain districts while the administration remained passive. He said the activities of these groups were incompatible with the ceasefire agreement signed with the Government of India and urged a review of the operational freedom being extended to them.
Calling on both the State and Central governments to intervene, Kipgen said the hill people would not be used as part of any political calculation. “While respecting the political aspirations of every community, we will not become a scoreboard or a benchmark for anyone’s political agenda,” he stated.
The spokesperson also invoked the June 18, 2001 uprising, urging Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to remember its lessons. He said historical events should guide policy to prevent deeper ethnic divides and called for decisive steps to check the movement of armed militants in the hill districts.
The rally ended peacefully with participants reiterating three core demands: impartial law enforcement, deployment of CAPF in sensitive hill areas, and strict action against armed groups accused of targeting villages. Organisers said they would continue to pursue the matter with authorities until concrete measures were taken.
