Songpi: The political crisis in Manipur deepened further on Saturday after Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh’s attempt to enter Kuki areas faced total rejection from Kuki civil bodies, while anger against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen for joining the Meitei-led government has exploded into a full-blown revolt.
According to a public statement on the visit of the Chief Minister to Kangpokpi issued by the KIM Secretariat today, the Kuki Inpi Manipur categorically clarifies that it was neither a party to nor involved in the visit of the Chief Minister to Kangpokpi yesterday.
The statement, signed by D. David Haokip, Assistant Secretary Information and Publicity, KIM, stated that the visit was undertaken at the invitation of certain district-level civil society organisations of Kangpokpi and not at the invitation, direction, authorisation, or mandate of KIM. KIM therefore strongly objects to such engagement, particularly in the face of the Kuki people’s movement for Separate Administration.
The statement further read that the actions of the concerned district civil organisations must not be construed as representing the collective position, consent, or mandate of KIM or the Kuki people. KIM will not compromise, dilute, or barter away the political aspirations and collective interests of the Kuki people for temporary engagements, personal interests, or political expediency.
The Chief Minister’s visit or the engagements undertaken during this visit is categorically rejected, the statement said, adding that KIM remains firmly committed to upholding the political aspirations and collective mandate of the Kuki people and urging the public to remain vigilant and united.
This rejection is directly linked to the community’s anger against Nemcha Kipgen. For the Kuki people, for whom Separate Administration is survival since the displacement and burning of homes and churches in May 2023, Nemcha had signed that pledge as one of the ten Kuki MLAs. That signature was her covenant with the people. On February 4, 2026, she broke it by taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister under Y. Khemchand Singh in defiance of the historic Lungthu meeting of January 13 in Guwahati, where all Kuki MLAs, Kuki Council and groups under ceasefire resolved not to join any government without a written guarantee on Separate Administration.
A community that recognizes this betrayal has responded with shutdowns across Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Chandel and Pherzawl, with tyres burnt and placards calling her a traitor held high. Major bodies including KIM, KSO, and Kuki Human Rights Council had already announced social boycott.
The pain behind this anger cannot be forgotten. Since May 2023, the Kuki people have lost more than 250 martyrs who laid down their lives defending their villages, faith and identity. These are not just numbers, but fathers, mothers, sons and youth leaders whose sacrifices form the foundation of the demand for Separate Administration. For the families of these martyrs, any compromise without justice is an insult to their blood.
Along with the lives lost, the material loss is immeasurable. More than 7,000 houses belonging to Kuki families in Imphal and surrounding valley areas were burnt and looted, hundreds of churches and villages were destroyed, and thousands of acres of ancestral land remain inaccessible. Over 41,000 people continue to live in relief camps in Lamka and Kangpokpi without a home to return to. The people ask, how can their leaders shake hands and share power in Imphal when the ashes of their homes are still warm and their martyrs are yet to receive justice.
Adding to the condemnation, the Kuki Human Rights Council has also vehemently condemned the Chief Minister’s outreach as an uninvited and unauthorised intrusion. In its separate statement, the Council stated that any visit to IDP camps or Kuki areas without prior information and approval from camp authorities and Kuki organisations is a serious breach of protocol. It noted that such visits cause discomfort among displaced families still coping with trauma, and asserted that no claim of normalcy can be made until issues of Kuki safety, land, and administrative rights are addressed.
Similarly, the United Kuki National Army has echoed KIM’s position, terming the Chief Minister’s visit as a calculated political exercise and an irresponsible publicity stunt. The organisation questioned where Khemchand was during May 3 to 7, 2023, when Kuki families were targeted and displaced, stating that his silence during the tragedy and sudden concern now do not align. It warned that such photo-op visits cannot manufacture peace and that any state visit of the Manipur government shall be opposed until the political demand of the Kuki people is duly considered.
