In its complaint, COCOMI alleged that armed militants targeted civilian areas, triggering panic and
exposing serious security failures in the region.BY PC Bureau
December 18, 2025: The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has lodged an urgent complaint with the Director General of Police, Manipur, seeking immediate intervention following an armed firing and bombing incident at Torbung in Bishnupur district on December 16. The organisation has alleged a serious breakdown of law and order, public justification of violence by Kuki-Zo leadership, and the spread of what it termed dangerous misinformation regarding so-called “buffer zones”.
In a memorandum submitted to the DGP, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said the attack occurred around 8.30 pm on December 16, when armed persons suspected to be militant elements carried out indiscriminate firing and bombing in the Torbung area. According to the complaint, civilian habitations were deliberately targeted, triggering panic and fear among residents.
COCOMI stated that the incident posed a direct threat to life and property and reflected “organised, premeditated and militarised intent”. It described the attack as part of a continuing pattern of armed violence in the region, pointing to what it called persistent security failures and the inability of authorities to neutralise armed groups operating with impunity.
The organisation further alleged that the gravity of the Torbung incident was compounded by a public statement attributed to Ginza Vualzong, a senior leader of the Kuki-Zo Council. According to COCOMI, the statement justified or rationalised the firing and bombing, made unsubstantiated allegations to deflect responsibility, and issued provocative remarks that could incite further violence. Such conduct, the memorandum said, crossed the line from free speech into criminal incitement and abetment, emboldening armed groups and undermining the authority of the state.
READ: COCOMI Lodges FIR Against Kuki-Zo Leader, Condemns Torbung Violence
READ: Land Rights Row Deepens as Torbung Firing Puts Hill Area Resettlement Under Scrutiny
COCOMI also raised concerns over repeated claims by Kuki-Zo bodies about the existence of a “buffer zone” allegedly created by the state as a territorial or protective measure. The organisation said the term has been widely used in public discourse without official clarification, fuelling confusion, fear and animosity among communities. It warned that unverified claims about a sanctioned “buffer zone” could falsely suggest institutional backing for territorial segregation or disintegration of Manipur.
The memorandum urged the state administration to issue an official and public clarification on whether any such buffer zone exists as a formal policy. If no such policy exists, COCOMI demanded legal action against those misusing the term in ways that could provoke unrest and deepen social divisions.
Listing a range of legal provisions, COCOMI said the Torbung incident and related statements could attract sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with criminal conspiracy, waging war, promoting enmity, abetment, attempt to murder, use of explosives, and criminal intimidation. It also cited provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
The organisation called for responsibility to be fixed not only on the armed perpetrators involved in the Torbung attack, but also on organisations and leaders who allegedly justify or incite violence, individuals spreading incendiary claims about buffer zones, and authorities if lapses are found in preventing foreseeable violence or countering misinformation.
COCOMI has demanded immediate registration of FIRs, transfer of the investigation to a senior-level or special team, legal action against public justification of terror “without fear or favour”, official clarification on buffer zone claims, and reinforcement of security in and around Torbung and nearby vulnerable areas. It has also sought a time-bound action taken report to restore public confidence.
Warning that the normalisation of armed violence and its public justification poses a serious threat to peace and constitutional order, COCOMI said inaction at this stage would only embolden further violence and deepen societal fractures in Manipur.
