Kuki-Zo hill districts witnessed unprecedented mobilisation, shutdowns, and confrontations with security forces after three tribal MLAs joined the new Manipur government, triggering widespread outrage and social boycott calls.
BY PC Bureau
February 6, 2026: In one of the most sweeping political repudiations since Manipur’s ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023, tens of thousands of Kuki-Zo community members across the state’s hill districts on Friday openly rejected the legitimacy of the newly formed BJP-led government, enforcing near-total shutdowns, staging massive coordinated rallies, and clashing violently with security forces in multiple flashpoints.
From Churachandpur and Kangpokpi to Saikul, Moreh, Chandel, and Pherzawl, public life collapsed under a synchronised wave of protest. Markets remained shuttered, roads lay deserted, government offices and educational institutions stood largely empty, and public transport was suspended. In several areas, protesters erected barricades, torched tyres, and blocked highways, paralysing movement across vast swathes of the hills.
The unifying slogan that thundered across protest zones captured the depth of collective fury and political alienation:
“The government in Imphal is not our government.”
For the Kuki-Zo people, the formation of a new Manipur government in Imphal has become a stark symbol of political exclusion, broken trust, and unresolved ethnic trauma.
Manipur Turmoil: Churachandpur Sees Explosive Protests, Dozens Injured
Trigger: Kuki-Zo MLAs Join New Government
The eruption of unrest was triggered by the participation of three Kuki-Zo MLAs — Nemcha Kipgen (appointed Deputy Chief Minister), L.M. Khaute, and Ngursanglur Sanate — in the formation of the new BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, which was sworn in on February 4, formally ending nearly a year of President’s Rule.
Their decision directly violated resolutions adopted by apex Kuki-Zo civil society bodies, which had unanimously barred any form of participation in a Manipur government without explicit written constitutional guarantees for either a separate Union Territory or formal administrative separation from the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley.
The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the community’s highest civil authority, swiftly announced a social boycott of the three MLAs, accusing them of betraying the collective mandate of a traumatised people.
“Their actions undermine our unity at a time when our people remain displaced, insecure, and politically marginalised,” the KZC said in a sharply worded statement.
“This is not merely a political disagreement. It is a violation of the collective survival struggle of our people.”
The boycott includes non-cooperation, public ostracisation, and social exclusion, measures rarely invoked except in cases of grave communal transgression.
Saikul, Kuki Hills echo with the rallying cry of “No Justice, No Rest.” ✊🔥
The BJP’s power move to reinstall an illegitimate government in #Manipur means nothing to the 40,000+ Kuki-Zo victims of the ethnic cleansing campaign perpetrated by Biren Singh led Manipur government. pic.twitter.com/OqzFahwSL2— Min งึลมินธัง (@ngulmint) February 6, 2026
Churachandpur: Epicentre of Violence
Tensions erupted violently on Thursday evening in Tuibong, a major protest hub in Churachandpur district headquarters, where thousands gathered to denounce what they termed a ‘historic betrayal’.
Protesters erected road barricades, torched tyres, and pelted stones at security forces. As crowds surged forward, security personnel responded with baton charges and multiple rounds of tear gas, triggering chaotic clashes that stretched deep into the night.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic, stampede, burning barricades, and choking clouds of gas as protesters scattered through narrow lanes.
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READ: Manipur Turmoil: Churachandpur Sees Explosive Protests, Dozens Injured
At least a dozen protesters sustained injuries, several suffering serious head wounds, according to hospital officials and local sources.
By Friday morning, heavy deployment of paramilitary forces restored a tense calm, but the town remained under near-lockdown conditions, with armoured vehicles, riot-control units, and security checkpoints dominating major intersections.
Bandh enforcers continued patrolling streets, ensuring strict shutdown compliance.
Saikul: Fiercest Clashes, Tear Gas and Baton Charges
Saikul, in Kangpokpi district, witnessed some of the fiercest violence of the day.
Large crowds assembled overnight, blocking roads and torching tyres. As protesters attempted to push through security barricades, stone-pelting erupted, prompting repeated baton charges and tear gas shelling.
Local officials confirmed at least 12 injuries, several involving head trauma and fractures.
Though crowds were dispersed by early Friday morning, sporadic stone-pelting, tense standoffs, and aggressive crowd mobilisation continued throughout the day, turning Saikul into one of the most volatile flashpoints of the protest movement.
Kangpokpi: District-Wide Shutdown & Highway Blockades
Across Kangpokpi district, a complete bandh paralysed daily life.
Markets remained closed, roads lay deserted, government offices stood nearly empty, and educational institutions suspended operations. Youth groups and women’s collectives organised large-scale marches, while protesters blocked stretches of National Highway-2, erecting burning barricades and halting vehicular traffic.
Security forces — including the CRPF, Assam Rifles, and Manipur Police commandos — were deployed heavily at Gamgiphai, Saikul junction, and Kangpokpi bazaar, converting the district headquarters into a fortified zone.
Despite the massive mobilisation, no fatalities were reported, though officials described the situation as “highly volatile.”
Moreh: Mass Rallies, Border Town Sealed
In the strategic Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh, thousands marched through Moreh Bazaar, Gate No. 1, and residential localities, raising slogans rejecting the authority of the Imphal government.
Trade gates, markets, transport services, schools, and offices remained completely shut. Security forces sealed key border transit points, deploying heavy paramilitary contingents to prevent cross-border spillover.
While no major fresh violence was reported, authorities maintained maximum alert status, citing Moreh’s strategic sensitivity.
Chandel & Pherzawl: Total Shutdown
Across Chandel and Pherzawl districts, shutdowns were enforced by tribal organisations with near-total compliance.
Bandh enforcers, some carrying sticks, patrolled major intersections and highways, ensuring closure of markets, offices, schools, and transport services.
Observers described near-deserted towns and villages, with movement restricted almost entirely to security patrols.
Organised Mobilisation: A Coordinated Political Statement
The shutdowns reflected remarkable organisational unity across the Kuki-Zo belt.
- The Joint Forum of Seven (JF7) enforced a 12-hour total shutdown across all hill districts.
- The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Churachandpur, imposed a 24-hour bandh, supported by mass rallies led by the Kuki Women’s Organisation for Human Rights and other civil bodies.
The scale, discipline, and synchronisation of protests underscored a deeply consolidated political stance, transcending local leadership divisions.
Protests Spill into New Delhi
The political backlash also spilled beyond Manipur.
On February 4, Kuki-Zo groups staged demonstrations outside Manipur Bhawan in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and branding her a “traitor to her people.”
Security forces remain deployed in strength across sensitive zones, with reinforcements guarding Churachandpur, Saikul, Kangpokpi, and Moreh.
While no major fresh clashes were reported by Friday evening, officials warned that the situation remains extremely fragile, with the potential for rapid escalation.
The political message from the hills is unmistakable:
Until demands for constitutional safeguards and political separation are addressed, the Manipur government installed in Imphal will find neither legitimacy nor acceptance in Kuki-Zo territories.
As Manipur once again confronts the unresolved fault lines of ethnicity, identity, and political power, the gulf between the valley and the hills appears wider, deeper, and more polarised than ever before — casting a long shadow over prospects of reconciliation and durable peace.
