Yesterday, on September 7th, a joint force of Manipur Police, CoBRA, CRPF, Mahila personnel and RAF raided a KLA camp at Gampum village under Saikul Police Station in Kangpokpi. They claimed to have busted an unauthorised camp, apprehended eight youths and seized seven automatic weapons. This KLA group is not against the Indian Army or civilians; they are village defence volunteers only.
Under the Modi-led BJP government, a systematic policy of selective disarmament has become clear. The operational rule on the ground is simple: disarm the Kukis, protect the Meiteis and Nagas. This bias is visible to everyone. When more than 6,000 weapons were looted from police armouries in the valley, groups like UNLF, Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun were seen openly moving with those weapons. Videos of them in camouflage conducting drills are public, yet no joint operation has ever sealed their camps.
The same is true for Naga armed groups. NSCN factions have run designated camps for over two decades under a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India. They maintain arms, run a parallel administration and collect illegal taxes from Kuki villages and highways with the full knowledge of the Centre. Their camps are never called unauthorised.
The KLA, NSCN and UNLF are all under SoO and ceasefire agreement with the Government of India. If ground rules apply to one, they must apply to all. Why is only the KLA camp at Gampum labelled unauthorised while NSCN camps are protected as designated camps and UNLF cadres are given safe passage for talks? The law cannot have three definitions for three groups.
The Gampum raid is not about security. It is a black game policy meant to show action against Kukis while allowing other armed groups to remain untouched. This double standard has turned deadly since March 2026. After Naga groups declared war on the Kuki community, nearly 20 Kuki civilians have been killed along the border districts of Kangpokpi, Senapati, Ukhrul, Kamjong and Tamenglong. Villages were burnt and farmers were shot, but not a single NSCN cadre has been arrested and not a single camp has been sealed.
Why does India treat Kukis like enemies? We are not enemies of India. We are freedom fighters for India. Our forefathers fought the British in the Anglo-Kuki War of 1917-1919, one of the longest anti-colonial resistances in the region. When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA came to Manipur, Kuki chiefs gave them shelter, food and guides, and more than 100 Kuki men joined the INA to fight for India’s freedom.
After Independence, our sons have served in every regiment of the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and paramilitary forces, shedding blood in Kashmir, Kargil and Arunachal. How can the community that fought for India’s freedom now be branded as militants for defending its own villages?
This is why India must give the Kuki people a Separate Administration. We cannot survive under a system that raids KLA camps while protecting NSCN and UNLF camps. Separate Administration within the Constitution of India is not against India; it is for our protection.
We need a constitutional arrangement, like a separate state or Union Territory with legislature, where our lives are protected from repeated attacks, our land is secured from encroachment, and our identity, language and customs are safeguarded. Without Separate Administration, there will be no security and without security, there will be no peace.
The Modi government must immediately end this shameful double standard, stop raiding KLA camps at Gampum and any Kuki village defence camp while protecting Meitei militant groups like UNLF and Naga groups like NSCN, and start political talks for a Separate Administration to protect Kuki life, land and identity.
