Historic Bridge-Building: Meitei MLA's Groundbreaking Visit to Kuki Relief Camps Amid Manipur's Ethnic Divide

Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a Meitei, meets internally displaced members of Kuki tribes

Imphal/New Delhi:

A Manipur MLA from the valley-dominant Meitei community has made a historic visit to two villages in hill areas for the first time since ethnic violence erupted over two years ago. During this significant journey, he met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Kuki tribes residing in relief camps.

BJP MLA and former state rural development minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, 61, initially traveled to Litan in the Naga-dominant Ukhrul district. With a small team accompanying him, he engaged in conversations with IDPs from the Kuki tribes, according to his aides.

He inquired about the hardships faced by the IDPs, his team reported, adding that those living in relief camps expressed desires to rebuild and return to their homes with government assistance. However, a statement attributed to relief camp incharge Lunkhojang Baite claimed the MLA arrived unannounced when most camp inmates were away at work, leaving behind primarily children, women, and elderly residents.

Baite alleged the MLA took advantage of the absence of the majority and responsible camp residents to make an uninvited appearance, photographing himself with unsuspecting children before departing quickly.

In a contrasting perspective, sources within the relief camp indicated that Kuki inmates must comply with demands from their armed groups and pressure organizations advocating for separate territory carved from Manipur, which explains the hostile statements and reveals a significant disconnect between community leaders and those suffering in relief camps.

"There are conflicts among different countries, there are conflicts among different communities, across the world. But we should learn to live in harmony despite the existing differences. There should not be any hindrance in visiting each other's villages," Yumnam stated.

"We should not allow this conflict to affect the future of our children. We, the elders, may have differences, but we should think about our children's future," he emphasized. "With the coming of Christmas, we all should pray for the return of peace in the state."

The MLA subsequently visited Chassad Kuki village in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar, according to his team.

Manipur BJP vice president and Tangkhul Naga leader Hopingson Shimray, who accompanied Singh during the visits, described it as a remarkable gesture during a time when people are reluctant to enter another community's territory due to implied threats from organized groups with commercial and political agendas.

However, the Litan relief camp incharge from the Kuki tribe stated, "We do not welcome such calculated and opportunistic actions aimed at gaining visibility amidst the ongoing turmoil faced by the people of Manipur. We firmly distance ourselves from this episode and urge all leaders to act responsibly, transparently, and with genuine concern during this sensitive time."

'Threatens Anyone Who Chooses Peace'

Michael Lamjathang Thadou, a youth leader from the Thadou tribe who has been campaigning against the controversial 'Any Kuki Tribes' category in Manipur's Scheduled Tribes list, described Singh's action as "a small but beautiful step" in a social media post.

In forceful remarks, he alleged members of his own Thadou tribe remain unable to return home, "not because of Meiteis but because some Kuki supremacists threaten anyone who chooses peace."

"IDPs of every community just want to return safely. It is the fear created by Kuki supremacists who benefit from keeping Manipur divided. When the people of Manipur unite, no politics or geopolitics can divide us anymore," stated Michael Thadou, who also serves as a Manipur BJP spokesperson.

During his tenure as rural development minister, Singh secured a package from the Centre for constructing 7,000 houses for IDPs. He also organized a relief camp for displaced Meitei community members at a college in Imphal for over seven months. Eventually, he facilitated the return of displaced individuals to their villages in Serou and Sugnu, some of the worst-affected areas during the height of ethnic clashes in 2023.

Manipur has been under President's rule since February, following N Biren Singh's resignation as chief minister.

Former chief minister N Biren Singh shared a video of meeting residents from Senapati, Noney, and Tamenglong before Christmas, shortly after villagers from Ijeirong in Noney district provided food, water and supplies to IDPs protesting in Imphal West District for safe passage home. People across community lines appreciated this gesture.

"It was a memorable occasion filled with meaningful interaction, laughter, and togetherness; this is the future we are building with hope, unity and harmony. Wishing everyone a blessed and peaceful Christmas season ahead," Biren Singh posted on social media.

The Kuki tribes are settled in districts surrounding Imphal valley. Two National Highways passing through Kuki villages have been blocked to Meiteis by Kuki insurgents and affiliated civil society organizations. These insurgent groups, numbering around 24, operate under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement valid for one year.

The Kuki Zo Council, which works with insurgent groups under the SoO agreement, has declared that neither Meiteis nor Kukis should cross the "buffer zone" under any circumstances, as there remains "no settlement or agreement to the conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities."

Meitei organizations have argued that the constitutional right to free movement is being controlled by insurgents and private organizations rather than enforced by the government.

They claim certain Kuki leaders, coordinating with armed groups, prevent members of Kuki tribes from accessing Imphal valley and the airport to maintain their demand for separate territory.

Manipur Deadlock

Kuki groups, including insurgent organizations representing their tribes that signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and state government, cite the ethnic violence that began in May 2023 as justification for escalating their demands from an autonomous council to a separate administration or Union Territory with an assembly.

The World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), however, stated in a January 15 memorandum to the Manipur governor that Kuki tribes have been demanding a state "since 1946-47."

"We have been demanding Constitutional Kukiland state under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution, since 1946-47 to the first Prime Minister of India PM Jawaharlal Nehru in the name of Kuki National Assembly (KNA), resurged by Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) and KNO-UPF who were under SoO with GoI since 2008, to safeguard and in recognition of our community's rights, including our right to self-determination, cultural identity, and linguistic heritage," the WKZIC stated in the memorandum, which also detailed hardships experienced by Kuki tribes since India's Independence.

Kuki leaders maintain that a "political solution" involving separate administration must be addressed before other issues, including the return of thousands living in relief camps.

Meitei leaders, however, characterize this condition as a deceptive attempt to establish a narrative supporting ethnocentric homeland demands. They argue that discussions can continue simultaneously with the return of people living in difficult camp conditions, as no territory should be ethnically exclusive.

A group of activists and academics from the conflict-affected state bordering Myanmar declared at a side event of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in October 2024 that the demand for an ethnocentric homeland is untenable and obsolete in Manipur, where at least 35 communities coexist.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), active in 2023-24 before the Kuki-Zo Council emerged, along with the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), their 10 MLAs, and approximately two dozen insurgent groups under the SoO agreement have united in demanding separate administration carved from Manipur. Meitei civil society organizations claim this has blurred distinctions between ordinary citizens and armed elements.

Some remnants of Meitei insurgent groups banned in India also operate in Myanmar. The only Meitei armed group that has signed any agreement with the Centre is the UNLF(P).

Over 260 people have died in the violence, with 50,000 internally displaced since May 2023.