Anger erupted after coffins of martyrs were removed from the Wall of Remembrance, with youth accusing civil society leaders of “sanitizing grief” to please the state.
BY Navin Upadhyay
September 12, 2025 — The violent protest that shook Churachandpur on Thursday night was more than a burst of vandalism; it was the continuation of a deeper unrest. As Manipur braced for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit since the 2023 ethnic violence that killed 258 and displaced 60,000, Kuki-Zo youth clashed with security forces at Pearsonmun village and Phailien Bazar, underscoring the widening divide between the masses and their leadership in the hills.
Groups of young men, some masked, tore down posters welcoming the PM, set cut-outs ablaze, and hurled stones at security personnel before vanishing into the night. Authorities dismissed them as “miscreants,” but the fury was a raw cry of betrayal — directed not only at the state but also at their own leaders.
The clashes began around 9 p.m. when barricades erected for Modi’s visit were dismantled and set on fire. By 11 p.m., bonfires of shredded posters lit the streets as protesters chanted against the “erasure of suffering.” One security officer was injured before paramilitary forces launched flag marches and tightened drone restrictions.
At the heart of the anger lies what protesters call the capitulation of Kuki-Zo civil society organizations (CSOs). While issuing repeated statements welcoming the Prime Minister, CSOs failed to highlight core community demands — justice for the May 3, 2023 violence, accountability for the displacement of nearly 60,000 people, and action against perpetrators.
🚨 #BreakingNews
Clashes erupted in Manipur’s Churachandpur district as police moved in against miscreants who vandalised hoardings put up ahead of PM Modi’s upcoming visit. Things under control now.#Manipur@PMOIndia@narendramodi@mountain_rats @ShivAroor @_protagonist1 pic.twitter.com/ULNHyaiNXC— Trinetra Insights (@TrinetraInsight) September 11, 2025
Another flashpoint was the removal of symbolic coffins from the Wall of Remembrance, a solemn site honoring victims of the 2023 violence. The coffins were taken down last week — with CSO consent— apparently because they posed security threat to PM. “”They were empty boxes, and anyone could have planted anything in them,” was one such explanation. This may be true, but not entirely. If the posed a security hazard, they could have been sanitised and checked again before the PM landed in the town. The narrative that people believe and which has found resonance in social media is that the coffins were removed because they were the starkest reminder of the May 3, 2023, where the state was a silent complicit. For many, this was nothing but betrayal. “This was our chance to show the PM our pain,” said a young activist. “
READ: Amid Boycott by Imphal Insurgents, Manipur Hills Dump Coffins, Dead, and Woes, Gush Over PM’s Visit
The first cracks appeared on September 6, when the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) abruptly canceled a planned march titled Justice Delayed is Justice Denied — Justice the Only Solution. The rally was meant to proceed from Koite Football Ground to the Wall of Remembrance, demanding justice from the Government of India, the judiciary, and the international community. Its cancellation shocked women who bore the brunt of the violence: many raped, killed, and humiliated, including two women paraded naked by a Meitei mob.
Sources said that rally was cancelled due to apprehension that it could lead to violence, an excuse that itself talks about the anger simmering among the masses for months, anger which is desperate to find an outlet, anger which has come to surface with PM’s visit.
That perception hardened further on September 7, when news broke about cultural dance performances by tribal women to greet the PM. The move drew immediate outrage. The Gangte Students’ Organisation (GSO) of Churachandpur publicly dissociated itself after its name appeared on a viral list of performers. “It is unacceptable at this critical time,” GSO said. “The sufferings and hardships faced by the Kuki-Zo since May 3, 2023, still persist… To put it short, loud and clear: we can’t dance with tears in our eyes.”
The latest update is that nearly 17 to 18 tribes will join in welcoming the Prime Minister, each attired in their traditional outfits, turning the reception into a colorful cultural extravaganza
The 2023 clashes razed Kuki-Zo villages, torched churches, and forced tens of thousands into camps. Survivors now view the CSOs’ embrace of Modi’s visit, with posters and red-carpet receptions, as a denial of their trauma. “Where are the demands for justice for 258 lives? Where is the roadmap to bring 60,000 people home?” A social media post read.
The unrest is a stark warning for Kuki-Zo leadership: aligning with the administration risks alienating their own people. The burning posters and flying stones were not random — they were a deliberate rejection of attempts to sanitize grief for political optics.
The Supreme Court’s 2023 rebuke of Manipur’s “absolute breakdown of law and order” still resonates, yet no major investigations have followed, even under President’s Rule imposed in February 2025.
As Modi prepares to unveil ₹8,500 crore worth of projects from Churachandpur’s Peace Ground and Imphal, the atmosphere remains tense. What was billed as a gesture of reconciliation risks becoming a flashpoint.
The Prime Minister must indeed be accorded a warm welcome, for his presence carries the hope that this visit could mark a step toward healing Manipur’s deep wounds. But true reconciliation cannot be built on erasure. The victims and survivors of the 2023 violence must be accorded the respect and dignity they deserve — only then can a red carpet of trust truly be rolled out.
