While Kuki-Zo leaders, including MLA Letpao Haokip, demanded his presence in the hills, Meitei groups have urged him to remain in the headquarters. The administrative vacuum threatens to stall critical development work in the sensitive border district.
BY PC Bureau
July 28, 2025: Administrative functioning in Manipur’s border district of Tengnoupal has been thrown into disarray, with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Saurabh Yadav caught between competing demands from Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The resulting deadlock is severely impacting governance and development in this strategically sensitive district.
The controversy began after MLA Letpao Haokip formally urged the DC to resume operations from the official district headquarters at Tengnoupal. In response, a prominent Meitei civil society group, the Maring Welfare Committee (MWC), submitted a written appeal urging the DC to continue functioning from Kakching Lamkhai, citing security risks, ethnic tensions, and logistical constraints.
In its representation, the MWC raised concerns over the safety of Meitei government employees working in Kuki-dominated zones. It cited incidents of violence, fear of ethnic reprisals, and inadequate infrastructure at Tengnoupal as justification for maintaining administrative offices in what it termed a “neutral and safer” zone.
This Meitei-led appeal—framed as a security and logistical necessity—preceded a sharp counter-response from the tribal leadership, who saw the relocation as deeply discriminatory.
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Saurabh Yadav, appointed DC of Tengnoupal in May 2025, has been operating primarily from Kakching Lamkhai, far from the designated district headquarters. This shift has drawn increasing criticism, especially since no formal notification or official explanation has been issued regarding the relocation.
Yadav’s predecessors functioned from the Tengnoupal HQ. In contrast, DC Yadav’s absence from the HQ—and his continued presence in Kakching Lamkhai, a Meitei-majority area inaccessible to many Kukis due to ongoing ethnic unrest—has raised alarm.
Manipur:Even IAS officers from outside learn fast-the hills don’t matter, only the valley does. Tengnoupal DC Saurabh Yadav’s actions reflect this harsh truth. Neglecting hill people has become routine. He’s not the first, and sadly won’t be the last@BhallaAjay26 @RajBhavManipur pic.twitter.com/amZVSV9eck
— Florence Guite (@FlorenceGuite_) July 27, 2025
MLA and Civil Society Push Back
In a letter dated July 25, 2025, MLA Haokip demanded Yadav return to Tengnoupal. He alleged that development activities have come to a complete halt, and that Kuki residents are now unable to access basic government services due to the DC’s location in a “hostile” zone.
“There have been no sanctions, no monitoring, no execution of development schemes,” Haokip wrote. He highlighted past incidents, including the alleged abduction of two Kuki boys in 2023 near Kakching Lamkhai, to underscore the dangers faced by his constituents in accessing government services outside their region.
Civil society groups echoed these concerns in widespread social media campaigns, tagging the IAS Association and Governor Anusuiya Uikey. One viral post read:
“Our DC is stationed in a place we can’t even enter without risking our lives. How is that professional or ethical?”
Another noted:
“This is not just about logistics—it’s about dignity, accessibility, and equal governance.”
The ongoing standoff has left governance paralyzed. Local officials report that files remain unprocessed, schemes unimplemented, and coordination among departments has broken down. This episode follows a pattern: critics note that Tengnoupal has witnessed a series of short DC tenures since its creation, disrupting any chance of long-term planning.
“Just when officers begin to understand the district’s complexities, they’re either transferred or disappear,” said a local school principal.
Carved out in 2016, Tengnoupal was envisioned as an administrative anchor for remote hill communities. But today, it’s struggling to maintain even its official headquarters. Amid continued ethnic unrest and mutual suspicion, many view the DC’s shift away from Tengnoupal as a retreat from constitutional responsibility.
Unless the Manipur government and Raj Bhavan step in to resolve the crisis, DC Saurabh Yadav’s mysterious relocation may well become a symbol of the state’s deepening administrative dysfunction at a time when stability is needed most.
