The “buffer zone,” separating Kuki and Meitei territories, has once again become a flashpoint after a sitting MP was allegedly denied access.
BY PC BUREAU
June 30 — Newly elected Inner Manipur MP Prof. Bimol Akoijam triggered a fresh political storm on Sunday after alleging that he was stopped by security forces from entering Phougakchou-Ikhai, a bazaar area in Bishnupur district that falls within his parliamentary constituency. His tweet has reignited the deeply entrenched ethnic fault lines in Manipur, drawing polarized reactions from both Kuki and Meitei communities online.
The MP called the restriction unconstitutional and accused the state of enforcing a communal divide through an unofficial ‘buffer zone.’ Akoijam urged for truth, justice, and genuine efforts to resolve the Manipur crisis.
The area in question falls close to what is now known as the “buffer zone” — a stretch of territory unofficially demarcated by security forces following the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023. This line, though never formally announced by the government, effectively serves as a de facto boundary separating Meitei-dominated valley regions from Kuki-Zo inhabited hill areas. It is guarded by a combination of central paramilitary forces and the Indian Army. Entry and movement are heavily restricted and often depend on a person’s ethnic background or affiliations — a fact increasingly criticized by rights groups and constitutional experts.
READ: Monsoon Covers India 9 Days Early: NE Braces for More Fury
Prof. Akoijam’s tweet is being seen not just as a personal grievance, but as an indictment of the state of Indian federalism and constitutional functioning in Manipur. That a sitting Member of Parliament — with security escort and legal mandate — could be blocked from visiting a locality within his own constituency has raised disturbing questions about equal access, state control, and the very nature of territorial sovereignty in the state. It also highlights a disturbing reality: the normalization of divided landscapes and ethnic silos in a region that remains under virtual siege more than a year after the violence first erupted.
I, an elected Member of Lok Sabha, was stopped from visiting Phougakchou-Ikhai Makha Leikai Keithel (Bazar) in Bishnupur District, which falls within my parliamentary constituency (Inner Manipur) today, despite the heavy presence of security forces, including the Indian Army, in…
— A. Bimol Akoijam (@Bimol_Akoijam) June 29, 2025
🔥 Kuki Reactions: ‘Selective Outrage Won’t Work’
@ThangHaoki97651 (Son of Kuki)
“First of all know your constituency. Secondly, know who kept the buffer zone. Lastly, tell Arambai Tenggol and the Meitei as a whole not to cross your area and kill people in other areas.”
@BenjaminMate1 (H S Benjamin Mate, Chairman, KOHUR)
“Get real, MP Saap, and stop your drama. We’re not fools; we see right through it.”
@HennaryL (Hen Kuki)
“Bimol Akoijam cries foul over the buffer zone, but it was Amit Shah, not the Kukis, who drew that line. It’s not imaginary; it’s the outcome of Meitei-led violence.”
@GoupuLuphe12994 (Goupu Lupheng)
“When right-thinking citizens like you failed to speak up, the result is what we see now. Accept this as the ‘new normal’.”
@KingOfFreeSoul (Shining Forth_Manipur)
“Buffer zones are real. Meiteis are living in open-air prisons. Enough with Congress-BJP theatrics.”
@JDavien21 (Jim Davien)
“True leadership means asking when Kuki-Zo people will return to homes in Imphal, not just demanding access to Kuki areas.”
@TahchapaBoi
“What steps have you taken to address this crisis? Have you even denounced Arambai Tenggol?”
@Haokipisred (Amorim Haokip)
“Kangvai is a Kuki village and doesn’t fall in your constituency. Is this drama just for relevance?”
⚡ Meitei Reactions: ‘Mockery of Democracy’
@meiteiheritage (Meitei Heritage Society)
“If even an MP can’t move freely in his state, India has either collapsed under Chin-Kuki militants or no longer cares for Manipur.”
@shanjoym (Shan)
“It’s not ethnic conflict, it’s occupation. GoI is backing the division of Manipur under the guise of peacekeeping.”
@NabenitaS (N Singha)
“Who stopped you?”
@Areng__Kom (Serto Chungneireng Kom)
“Imagine, if an elected MP with full security can’t cross the buffer zone, what hope is there for ordinary people?
Clarification: Kangvai is a Kuki village burnt down by Meitei narco-terrorists.”
READ: Tribal Unity: Key to Protecting Land, Life, and Dignity (Part 1)
The so-called buffer zone, enforced by central forces after last year’s ethnic clashes, was designed to de-escalate tensions between Kuki-Zo hill settlements and Meitei-dominated valleys. But the invisible line has hardened into a symbol of ethnic segregation. While Kukis see it as a protective barrier, Meiteis see it as a forced partition and erosion of Manipur’s territorial integrity.
Bimol Akoijam’s public stand has cast fresh light on the ongoing erosion of democratic rights in a state where even an MP’s mobility is subject to ethnic fault lines. Whether this incident will catalyze political clarity or deepen the crisis remains to be seen.
