Tengnoupal: The Village Volunteers, Eastern Zone has expressed strong disappointment over reports regarding the proposed visit of the Chief Minister of Manipur to Tengnoupal district and warned that the visit would lead to serious and unavoidable consequences.
In a press statement issued on April 13, Ref No VVEZ-PR/042/04-26, the group reiterated its firm position that no Meitei individual will be permitted to cross the buffer zone between Kangleipak and Meitei land and Tengnoupal district, described by them as Kukiland, until the Government of India officially acknowledges the separation and fulfils its demand for Separate Administration in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature.
The statement delivered a stern warning to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand and his associates, stating that Tengnoupal is not Kangpokpi.
Here, the Kuki people stand firmly united, and any attempt at intimidation or coercion will be met with resolute resistance. The pressure tactics used in Kangpokpi will not prevail here, the statement said.
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The group said that given the prevailing ground realities and sentiments of the people, any insistence on proceeding with the proposed visit despite warnings may lead to serious and unavoidable consequences. It further stated that the responsibility for any such outcome will rest entirely with those who choose to ignore the concerns and position of the people.
The warning must be seen in the backdrop of the protracted Kuki-Meitei conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023, and has since left the state deeply divided both physically and emotionally. For nearly two years, Kuki villages have maintained self-governed defence through village volunteers, while Meitei areas remain under state administration, with buffer zones manned by central forces separating the two communities. Despite the presence of over 60,000 central troops, there has been no free movement across districts, no resettlement of displaced Kuki families from Imphal, and no political settlement.
Kuki civil society groups have repeatedly alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has adopted a partisan approach in handling the crisis. They point to the continued imposition of President’s Rule formalities while allowing a Meitei Chief Minister to function, the selective reopening of highways only for the valley, the delay in granting separate administration despite documented ethnic cleansing, and the silence of the Prime Minister on the targeted displacement of Kuki tribals. According to Kuki organisations, the Centre’s inaction has validated their demand that living under a Meitei-dominated state administration is no longer possible and that only a Union Territory with legislature can guarantee their security and future.
The Volunteers argued that any attempt by the state leadership to enter Tengnoupal, which they consider their ancestral land, without addressing these core political demands is seen as provocation and an attempt to normalize the situation without justice. They maintained that Kangpokpi’s recent experiences, where state officials attempted to assert control despite public opposition, will not be repeated in Tengnoupal, which shares a border with Myanmar and remains a stronghold of Kuki unity.
No response has been issued so far from the Chief Minister’s Office or the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the proposed visit or the demand for separate administration.
