Tension gripped Manipur’s Churachandpur district as protesters enforced a 24-hour shutdown and staged demonstrations against three Kuki-Zo legislators who supported the newly formed state government. The protests turned intense, with a key highway blocked and a vehicle reportedly damaged. The shutdown was backed by the Kuki Zo Council (KZC), the apex body of the Kuki-Zo communities. The council also announced a social boycott of the three legislators — Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, Lalliang Mang (LM) Khaute, and Ngursanglur Sanate — accusing them of defying the community’s collective demand for a separate administration by joining the government. In a dramatic show of protest, effigies representing the three MLAs were burnt during a mass public rally held at the Wall of Remembrance in Tuibong, Lamka. The rally was organised by the ITLF Women Wing and the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR), who voiced strong opposition to the legislators’ decision to participate in the formation of what protesters described as a “Meitei-led government.”
Speakers at the rally accused the MLAs of betraying the Kuki-Zo cause and ignoring the long-standing demand for a separate administration. Protesters blocked the highway linking Imphal to Aizawl via Churachandpur, disrupting traffic. Markets, shops, and educational institutions remained closed, while only emergency and essential services were allowed to operate. Security was heightened at the residences of Kipgen, Khaute, and Sanate as tensions ran high. Security forces were placed on alert to prevent further escalation. The Kuki Students’ Organization (KSO) also condemned the three MLAs, calling their move a betrayal of the community’s political aspirations. It praised the remaining seven Kuki-Zo legislators who did not join the government. All 10 Kuki-Zo legislators have been demanding a separate administration, preferably in the form of a Union Territory, since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023. The conflict has claimed nearly 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people.
The unrest coincides with the formation of a new government in the state. Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a Meitei leader, was sworn in as Chief Minister after President’s Rule was lifted. Nemcha Kipgen is among the two Deputy Chief Ministers representing tribal communities. Ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities led to deep divisions, with communities retreating into segregated areas in the hills and valley. Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had resigned amid political instability before President’s Rule was imposed. Though no major fresh violence has been reported since early January, tensions remain high, and thousands continue to stay in relief camps
