Kuki-Zo organisations said 14 more of their community members, including three minor students, remain in captivity. 
| Photo Credit: Civil Society Organisation/ANI

Imphal/New Delhi:

People from all communities should surrender looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition within seven days, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla said in a statement today.

No punitive action will be taken against anyone who returns such weapons within the deadline, the Governor said; however, strict action will be taken for keeping looted or illegal weapons after the seven-day deadline ends.

The state that shares an open border with Myanmar and where ethnic clashes between the Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki began nearly two years ago, is under the President’s rule.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his council of ministers resigned on February 9, after which the Governor placed the assembly in suspended animation, or MLAs active but without powers.

“People of Manipur, both in valley and hills, have suffered immense hardship for the last over 20 months due to a series of unfortunate incidents affecting peace and communal harmony. In the greater interest of restoring normalcy, so that people can return to their normal day-to-day activities, all communities in the state must come forward to ensure cessation of hostilities and maintenance of peace and order in the society,” Governor Bhalla said in the statement.

“It is in this regard that I sincerely request the people of all communities, particularly the youths in the valley and hills, to voluntarily come forward and surrender looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition to the nearest police station/outpost/security forces camp within the next seven days, with effect from today,” the Governor said. “Your single act of returning these weapons can be a powerful gesture towards ensuring peace.”

“I want to assure you that no punitive action would be initiated if such weapons are returned within the stipulated time. Thereafter, strict action will be taken for possession of such weapons. The government is committed to ensuring a peaceful resolution of the situation and safeguarding the future of our youth. Let us rebuild our State together with hope and trust for a brighter future. Come forward and choose peace,” Governor Bhalla said.

Guns In Manipur

An estimated 6,000 firearms were looted from police stations and armouries across Manipur after ethnic clashes broke out on May 3, 2023. Some 4,000 firearms are still missing, sources have said. Some of the recovered firearms include American origin M series assault rifles. Approximately 30 per cent of looted weapons has been recovered so far, police sources said.

“Sophisticated weapons looted from state armouries have made their way into the Manipur ethnic conflict, posing fresh challenges for security agencies,” a Union Home Ministry official said, requesting anonymity.

Imphal/Guwahati:

An umbrella body of civil society organisations of Manipur’s valley-dominant Meitei community has requested Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to work for restoring an elected government within a month.

President’s Rule was imposed in violence-hit Manipur on February 13 following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Representatives of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) met Governor Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in the state capital Imphal, and submitted a 13-point memorandum that detailed steps the Governor may consider to bring peace to Manipur.

“It is evident that in the ongoing law and order crisis in Manipur, the Meetei group has no specific agenda or objective in engaging with this conflict. Rather, the crisis appears to be driven by those pursuing the demand for a separate administration,” COCOMI said in the memorandum.

COCOMI requested the Governor to work on a comprehensive initiative to identify, dismantle, and evict all illegal villages that have sprung up across the state, threatening its demographic and environmental integrity.

The civil society group said all violent activities and unauthorised movement of armed groups must be brought to a complete halt to ensure peace and stability, and requested for measures to provide security and amnesty for all affected villages and their civilian village defence forces to safeguard them from continued violence.

“The coordinator of the northeast [for] BJP has firmly assured that the territorial integrity of Manipur will be safeguarded. The coordinator must unequivocally assert that the administrative integrity of Manipur is paramount and must be safeguarded without exception, ensuring that it remains uncompromised. It is imperative that we eliminate any possibility of separate administration,” COCOMI said.

The Raj Bhavan in a statement said COCOMI convenor Kh Athouba and six others called on the Governor, and submitted a memorandum highlighting key issues pertaining to the state.

“… Governor heard their concerns and asked them to cooperate with the government in the run-up to restore harmony,” the Raj Bhavan said.

COCOMI alleged one of the root causes of the Manipur crisis is the involvement of what it called “Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist separatist groups” that have been working “in a manner similar to the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) in Myanmar, using this alignment to bargain for territorial gains within Manipur while deploying expendable Kuki militants in a proxy war and counter insurgency operations under the guise of loyalty” to India.

READ | ‘Manipur Crisis Driven By Those Pursuing Separate Administration’: Meitei Body In Memorandum To Governor

“The Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement since 2008, which has enabled militancy, must be thoroughly reviewed and dismantled. The leadership of these groups, including UPF leader Thanglianpau Guite (former MP in Myanmar) and KNO leader PS Haokip (originally from Somra Track, Myanmar), underscores their foreign origins,” COCOMI said in the memorandum.

“The state urgently requires reestablishment of law and order across both hills and plains, immediate relief and financial assistance for those affected, reconstruction of destroyed villages with adequate security measures, rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), ensuring their safe return to their respective homes and villages, and free and secure access to healthcare, education, and transport facilities, including uninterrupted and safe movement along national highways,” COCOMI said.

Had a fruitful and meaningful discussion with the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur today. All key issues were thoroughly explained and acknowledged, paving the way for a better resolution of the state’s chronic problems, which have been exacerbated by immense cross-border pressures… pic.twitter.com/TyYRfIdwvq

— Khuraijam Athouba (@Paari_Athouba) February 17, 2025

Some 24 Kuki-Zo militant groups come under two umbrella organisations for the purpose of negotiations – the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) led by the KNA, and the United People’s Front (UPF) led by the Zomi Revolutionary Army. The KNO and the UPF representing all the others have signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government. Under this agreement, the militants are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.

The state government has been demanding to end the SoO agreement over allegations that SoO-linked militants have been taking part in the Manipur violence, as also militants from several banned Meitei groups that had nearly been eradicated from Manipur in the last 10 years, only to return from their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar after the breakout of ethnic clashes in May 2023.

READ | End Ceasefire With All Kuki-Zo Insurgent Groups: Manipur Assembly Unanimous Resolution

The SoO agreement is reviewed by a joint monitoring group every year; its last review was in February 2024, but little is known about the current status of the agreement.

Meitei leaders have alleged the SoO groups have been working to strengthen themselves over the years by taking advantage of the ceasefire, until a time came to engineer a violent attack for a separate land. Geopolitical analysts have speculated the Kuki armed groups were used as mercenaries to fight Meitei and Naga militants operating in the India-Myanmar border – while the SoO groups’ demand for separate territory carved out of Manipur is the unintended side effect of that alleged policy.

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

Guwahati:

Days after President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur, protests could be seen at different parts of Valley areas. While the Kuki-dominated hill districts welcomed the Central government’s decision, the civil society organisations based in Meitei-dominated valley districts have been demanding the revocation of the decision.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity demanded the revocation of President’s Rule and asked the Central Government to reinstate the popular government. 

Ten MLAs from the Kuki community, however, have welcomed the decision.

Different women’s groups from Imphal East gathered at Thumbutgong Brahmapur areas today and shouted slogans, demanding a popular government in the state as soon as possible.

Talking to media persons, woman volunteer BM Roji said people are angry and suffering due to political instability in the state. Different Meira Paibi organisations are protesting against the Central government’s decision to impose President’s Rule, she said.

After many tribal organisations of Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities, 10 Manipur tribal MLAs, who have also been demanding separate administrations or a Union Territory with the legislature for tribals in the state, expressed hope today that the Centre would lay out a comprehensive political roadmap for peace.  

The ten tribal legislators, of which seven belong to the BJP, while acknowledging the Centre’s decision to place the Manipur Assembly under suspended animation, expressed hope that the government would lay out a comprehensive political roadmap for peace and justice under a negotiated settlement.

“We also look forward to time-bound measures to end the sufferings that the conflict-affected and internally displaced people continue to undergo,” the MLAs said in a joint statement.
 

Imphal/New Delhi:

Eleven militants have been arrested in Manipur in the last two days, including seven suspected militants of the Kuki National Army (KNA), the police said on Sunday. The KNA is a signatory to the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement. The suspected KNA militants were arrested from Old Khaukual area in Churachandpur on Friday, the police said.

In another operation on Saturday at Huikap village in Imphal East district, four members of the Meitei militant group Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group), or KCP(PWG), including two women were arrested, the police said. They were found carrying two AK assault rifles, pistols, ammunition, incriminating documents and booklets, the police said.

Following the imposition of President’s Rule with the house in suspended animation (assembly not dissolved), the security forces have been carrying out operations across the state to dismantle bunkers and disarm people from both sides who call themselves village volunteers.

The Kuki tribes are calling for the arrest of Arambai Tenggol chief Korounganba Khuman, alleging he heads a radical Meitei outfit. The Meiteis have pointed back at hundreds of Kuki youths carrying assault rifles under numerous banners of ‘volunteers’, who the Meiteis say are infested with highly trained Kuki militants.

What is clear, however, is civilians from both sides cannot carry weapons like assault rifles under the name of volunteering, police sources said, adding the President’s Rule will ensure all are disarmed.

The frequency of arrests – at least those announced by the police on X (formerly Twitter) – has increased in recent weeks.

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

Some 24 Kuki-Zo militant groups come under two umbrella organisations for the purpose of negotiations – the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) led by the KNA, and the United People’s Front (UPF) led by the Zomi Revolutionary Army. The KNO and the UPF representing all the others have signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government. Under this agreement, the militants are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.

The state government has been demanding to end the SoO agreement over allegations that SoO-linked militants have been taking part in the Manipur violence, as also militants from several banned Meitei groups that had nearly been eradicated from Manipur in the last 10 years, only to return from their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar after the breakout of ethnic clashes in May 2023.

The SoO agreement is reviewed by a joint monitoring group every year; its last review was in February 2024, but little is known about the current status of the agreement.

On 14.02.2025, Security Forces conducted area domination and patrolling in general area south of village Old Khaukual under Sangaikot-PS, Churachandpur District. During the operation, the following persons were arrested along with arms, ammunitions and other items. The arrestees… pic.twitter.com/FuwkaAtnG7

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) February 15, 2025

The KCP – before several versions of it mushroomed – is among the eight Meitei militant groups in the Home Ministry’s list of banned organisations.

The KCP(PWG) is likely being used as “hired guns” to attack civilians and carry out extortion in the valley areas to keep tension simmering, state intelligence sources had told NDTV in December 2024 based on early investigation. They declined to say who hired these militants to create terror in the valley areas, citing the investigation was at an early stage.

The security forces will intensify operations to disarm people from both the warring communities and dismantle all illegal fortifications, the police said.

Imphal:

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in a statement said it has received positively the government’s imposition of President’s Rule in the violence-hit state, and the move will help pave the way for political settlements and peaceful coexistence.

“We are hopeful it (President’s Rule) would pave the way for due political settlements and peaceful coexistence (of Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribals) as good neighbours,” KZC secretary (information) Khaikhohauh Gangte said.

Referring to comments by BJP’s northeast incharge Sambit Patra that Manipur’s territorial integrity will not be touched, the KZC in a statement said, “Patra may be unaware or has chosen not to be aware that Meitei physically violated Manipur’s territorial integrity on May 3, 2023, when they massacred, attacked church buildings, destroyed the homes, and forcefully displaced the Kuki-Zo people from the Imphal valley.”

The KZC alleged the government led by former chief minister N Biren Singh carried out “ethnic cleansing”, which led to the separation of Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-dominant Meiteis demographically and physically.

“Kuki-Zo are not separatists, Meiteis have separated Kuki-Zo from Manipur. More than 250 Kuki-Zo people have died in this ethnic conflict, over 7,000 Kuki-Zo homes have been destroyed, more than 360 places of worship have been set on fire or destroyed, and more than 40,000 Kuki-Zo people have become homeless,” the KZC said in the statement.

Mr Patra in Imphal on Friday said the 60-member state assembly was put under suspended animation, meaning the assembly can be revived whenever the President deems it fit.

“The BJP government is committed to continuing peace efforts in the state and to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur. There would be no compromise on the territorial integrity of the state. Illegal infiltration into Manipur would not be allowed in any circumstances and such attempts would be dealt with severely,” Mr Patra had told reporters.

Speculation is that the BJP is trying to choose a leader who will be acceptable among all communities – Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Naga tribes, and the non-tribal Meiteis. The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

Separate Administration Demand

Kuki groups, including militant organisations that represent their tribes and that signed the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government, have pointed at the ethnic clashes as the reason why they escalated their demand from an autonomous council to a separate administration, or a Union Territory with an assembly.

The World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), however, in a memorandum to Manipur’s new Governor on January 15 said the Kuki tribes have been demanding a state “since 1946-47.”

The internally displaced people from both communities are yet to return home.

Kuki leaders have said a “political solution” in the form of a separate administration should be discussed first before any other issues, including the return of thousands of people living in relief camps.

Meitei leaders have, however, cited this condition placed by the Kuki leaders as a deceitful attempt to set up a narrative for an ethnocentric homeland demand; the Meitei leaders’ argument is that talks can go on while at the same time people living in difficult conditions in the camps can also return home since no territory is ethnic exclusive.

The demand for an ethnocentric homeland is untenable and obsolete in Manipur, where at least 35 communities co-exist, a group of activists and academics from the violence-hit state bordering Myanmar had said at a side event of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva in October.

Over 250 have died and 60,000 have been internally displaced in the Manipur clashes.

Imphal/Guwahati:

N Biren Singh, who resigned as Chief Minister of violence-hit Manipur days before President’s Rule with the assembly under animated suspension was imposed, in a long post on X today said the shift in Manipur’s demographic balance is not speculation, but “happening before our eyes.”

The Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some areas categorised as hill districts in Manipur, hold Mr Singh responsible for the outbreak of clashes in May 2023 over his policies that allegedly targeted the Kuki tribes.

The valley-dominant Meitei community blame an influx of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar and alleged mushrooming of unrecognised villages across the state as the root cause of the ethnic clashes.

Land rights and political representation are also among issues that have contributed to tensions.

Mr Singh shared an old post from November 8, 2022 showing a 26-year-old Myanmar national who was arrested for carrying the Aadhaar card of an Indian who had died.

“Flashback to 2022: A Myanmar national with a fake Indian Aadhaar card. How many more remain undetected till today?” Mr Singh said in the post.

“Our land and identity are under threat. With a small population and limited resources, we stand vulnerable. I monitored and detected illegal immigration tirelessly until May 2, 2023. But after the tragic events of 3rd May, 2023 our state machinery has struggled to respond effectively.

“An unguarded 398-km border with Myanmar and the Free Movement Regime (FMR) were rapidly shifting Manipur’s demographic balance. This is not speculation, it is happening before our eyes. Since our government took charge in March 2017, the challenge has only intensified. After the May 3, 2023 incident, the situation has become even more critical,” Mr Singh said.

“Manipur is a small state, with a small population and no significant resources. We have only three MPs to represent us in the nation’s highest decision-making body. Yet, we have always stood with pride, resilience, and an unbreakable spirit.

“Illegal immigration continues to be on the rise, threatening the very fabric of our society. So far, we have only identified a fraction of those who have entered our land. But what about the ones who remain undetected to this day? I urge all concerned authorities to take serious note and intensify efforts to detect and deport illegal immigrants from Manipur. As for me, I will continue this fight with unwavering commitment in every way I can,” Mr Singh said.

“The challenge before us is not just ours alone, it carries consequences far beyond our borders,” he added.

Flashback to 2022: A Myanmar national with a fake Indian Aadhaar card. How many more remain undetected till today?

My Dear Indigenous Friends,

Our land and identity are under threat. With a small population and limited resources, we stand vulnerable. I monitored and detected… https://t.co/ivUX7gDvt9

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) February 13, 2025

What Next In Manipur

The President’s Rule was imposed for the 11th time in Manipur today since 1951.

Sources in the Manipur administration said that for a start, they expect the central security forces to neutralise armed groups, disarm everyone from both sides, open up highways in the hill and valley areas, ensure airport access for all, and work out ways to rebuild, compensate and provide safety for internally displaced people to return home.

A communique from the office of President Droupadi Murmu said after receiving a report from Governor Ajay Bhalla and “after considering the report and other information received by me, I am satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the Government of that State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India”.

The move by the Centre came as the state BJP failed to come to a consensus on the chief ministerial candidate and the assembly could not be convened.

The BJP was hoping to pick a chief minister after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his visit to the US. But meanwhile, the gap in the convening of state assembly threatened to pass the constitutionally approved maximum time of six months.

Article 174(1) of the Constitution says that state assemblies have to be convened no later than six months after their last sitting.

In the case of Manipur, the last sitting was on August 12, 2024. The budget session of the assembly, which was expected to begin on Monday, had to be postponed indefinitely after Mr Singh and his Council of Ministers stepped down. 

The deadline for convening the assembly was today and in the evening, President’s Rule had to be declared in the state.

Imphal:

The umbrella body of civil society organisations of the Meitei community in Manipur has alleged statements issued by its Kuki counterparts in recent times show they want “to create circumstances that validate their long-standing demand for a separate administration.”

The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) in a statement said even when the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh stepped down “for the larger good”, Kuki civil society groups have “found another pretext to continue their movement for a separate administration.”

COCOMI’s statement comes amid the spectre of President’s Rule looming large over the violence-hit state after the chief minister resigned on Sunday, a day before a no-confidence motion to be introduced by the Congress in the budget session of the assembly, which was cancelled by the Governor.

The Meitei civil society organisation alleged their Kuki counterparts have “consistently sought new justifications to sustain unrest, making their own people suffer while capitalising on their discontent to push their vested political agenda.”

“COCOMI urges the government of India to recognise this systematic agenda and take firm measures to hold accountable any individual, organisation, or group that justifies instability and violence as a means to pursue their political ambitions. The people of Manipur deserve peace, stability, and a resolution that upholds the integrity of the state,” it said.

The valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

Churachandpur-based Kuki organisation Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and the Kangpokpi-based Kuki group Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) are in the forefront of the call for a separate administration carved out from Manipur, so are the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly and nearly a dozen Kuki-Zo militant groups that have signed a ceasefire (Suspension of Operations, or SoO Agreement).

The Kuki tribes and the opposition Congress party in Manipur have said the chief minister’s resignation is “too little, too late”. They have not given any indication of agreeing for talks unless they get separate administration, and an investigation is ordered into the alleged role of the chief minister in instigating the violence.

While Kuki leaders and militants under the SoO agreement have pointed at the ethnic clashes that began in May 2023 as the reason why they escalated their demand from an autonomous council to a separate administration, or a Union Territory with an assembly, Meitei leaders have cited numerous protests in the past by the Kuki tribes seeking separation, or “Kukiland”, a land of their own.

The World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) in a memorandum to the Manipur Governor on January 15 said the 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 [government of India] 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 said in the memorandum, which also detailed hardships of the Kuki tribes since India’s Independence.

Over 250 people have been killed and 50,000 have been internally displaced in the Manipur clashes that began nearly two years ago.

Imphal/Guwahati:

The chief of a key Kuki body in Manipur faces legal action after a mob attacked a small team of security forces when they tried to destroy illegal opium poppy fields in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on January 31.

The Manipur government in a statement said a team of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) went to destroy illegal poppy plantations in the hill range of Kangpokpi district’s Lhungjang village, 40 km from the state capital Imphal, when they were confronted by a large mob armed with sticks.

Lhungjang is the native village of Ajang Khongsai, the chief of Kuki Inpi, the government said.

“An FIR [first information report] has been filed at Saikul police station for further investigation into the incident. The government takes the incident very seriously and condemns the mob violence in the strongest terms. Strict legal action will be taken up against all those involved, including Ajang Khongsai, who is linked to both the village and the incident…” it said in the statement.

The Kuki Inpi is an organisation that has endorsed the demand by Kuki leaders and militants under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement for a separate administration carved out of Manipur.

“The operation targeted a large tract of land used for poppy cultivation, which has been identified as a key source for the production of illicit opium. Despite the clear intentions of the authorities to enforce the law and tackle the drug menace in the region, the drive was met with violent opposition,” the government said in the statement.

Also Read | Exclusive: End Of Opium Poppy Cultivation In Manipur Soon? Satellite Imagery Data Shows…

“A large mob armed with sticks gathered at the site, forcibly halting the operation. Taking advantage of the limited number of police personnel, the mob vandalised three police vehicles and threatened the personnel to stop the destruction drive. The situation quickly escalated, and a reinforcement team led by the SP [Superintendent of Police] Kangpokpi rushed to the spot to control the mob and restore order and ensure the continuation of the destruction drive,” the government said.

The Kangpokpi SP, Manoj Prabhakar, is an Indian Police Service officer who suffered a gash on his forehead during a protest by members of the Kuki tribes on January 3, days after protesters tried to stop security forces from dismantling bunkers on the hills. Many women from the Kuki tribes were injured in clashes with the security forces on December 31 on the hilltops, when the forces went to remove the bunkers. One woman lost an eye.

The Manipur government said the combined team eventually managed to destroy 45 acres of illegal poppy cultivation.

On Sunday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in a post on X said over 25 acres of poppy cultivation have been destroyed in Tengnoupal district.

“I commend the coordinated efforts of Tengnoupal district police, BSF, AR, reserve line teams, forest department, and the executive magistrate in tackling these illicit activities,” Mr Singh said.

Major Crackdown: 25+ Acres of Poppy Cultivation Destroyed in Tengnoupal

As part of our intensified War on Drugs mission, over 25 acres of illegal poppy plantations were successfully destroyed today at Khudei Khullen Hill range, Tengnoupal subdivision. An FIR has been registered… pic.twitter.com/Cn3sxFauei

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) February 2, 2025

Earlier, Mr Singh reached out to his counterpart in neighbouring Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a show of support to the Assam Police for destroying illegal opium poppy cultivation worth over Rs 27 crore. The police in Assam’s Goalpara destroyed 170 bighas (over 56 acres) of poppy plantation in January, Mr Sarma said in a post on X on Sunday.

My deep appreciation for the decisive measures taken in Assam, under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri @himantabiswa ji, in addressing the challenges posed by the cultivation of poppy.

We stand together and remain resolute in our shared goal of building a future… https://t.co/G3Xl4hYQpF

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) February 2, 2025

Manipur has been experiencing ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of the state. Both communities have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

The Kuki tribes have alleged the Biren Singh government targeted poor farmers in the hills who have no other sources of income and ignored the role of drug lords living in Meitei-dominated valley areas.

The Manipur government has refuted the allegations and shared data to assert no community was singled out in the state’s ‘war on drugs’ campaign.

Imphal:

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has urged the central government to set up a dedicated anti-narcotics bureau in the northeastern region.

The conglomerate of civil society organisations based in the state capital Imphal also appealed to the Centre to declare the region as a “narco-terrorist emergency zone”.

In a memorandum addressed to the chief ministers of northeastern states, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said, “We urge the government of India to officially declare the northeastern region as a narco-terrorist emergency zone to highlight the gravity of the situation and mobilise national resources accordingly.”

The COCOMI demanded the establishment of a “specialised anti-narcotics bureau or force dedicated to combating drug trafficking and narco terrorism in the region”.

The bureau should work transparently and coordinate with the state governments and local authorities, COCOMI said in the memorandum.

The organisation called for a thorough investigation into “alleged complicity of influential individuals and entities in Manipur, Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin state in supporting narco terrorism activities”.

It sought measures to destroy infrastructure supporting drug smuggling and illegal arms trafficking as well.