As the world celebrated Women’s Day, Kuki-Zo women in Manipur faced brutal attacks by central security forces, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries. KOHUR has strongly condemned the use of state force against unarmed civilians and called for international intervention to address the escalating violence.
BY PC Bureau
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has extended its deep gratitude to Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Chief, for highlighting the severe human rights violations and ethnic violence against the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur.
In a strongly worded statement, KOHUR commended OHCHR for calling out the “grave and systematic persecution” of the Kuki-Zo people by the Meitei community and the N. Biren Singh-led Manipur government. The organization also welcomed OHCHR’s demand for the Indian government to “take robust and timely action to investigate acts of violence and hold the perpetrators accountable, including those in positions of power who have aided and abetted the ongoing hate campaign.”
Condemnation of Security Forces’ Actions on Women’s Day
On a day meant to celebrate and honor women worldwide, KOHUR condemned what it described as “the brutal and inhumane assault on Kuki-Zo women” by central security forces in Kangpokpi district. The organization accused security personnel, who were supposed to safeguard buffer zones, of instead launching violent attacks on “unarmed mothers and daughters who were merely protecting their ancestral lands from forced intrusion.”
You can’t FORCE Love
You can’t FORCE peace@anjalikdayal
Manipur’s current situation is but a crisis of consent from the locals who still struggles to trust the other warring locals.What is “free movement” when the guns that were looted/ allegedly given are still not back. pic.twitter.com/J5Qtw95xHH
— Rebecca Ṭhiek 🇮🇳 (@rebeccahmar_) March 8, 2025
During the violence, Lalgouthang Singsit, son of Sehkholen Singsit, was reportedly shot dead by the forces.
“India has once again gained the shameful distinction of shooting its own women on International Women’s Day,” the statement read. “Instead of protecting its citizens, the government has unleashed its armed forces on defenseless civilians who were simply standing guard over their homes.”
KOHUR emphasized that the protesters, primarily women, were not inciting violence but were peacefully resisting the encroachment of Kuki-Zo lands by Meitei groups. “What crime did these women commit, except to defend the dignity of their people?” the statement questioned.
Meitei Encroachment and Government Bias
KOHUR further accused Meitei civil society organizations, including FOCS (Federation of Civil Society Organizations), of attempting to encroach upon Kuki-Zo territories. The group claimed that such actions were “not only an attack on Kuki-Zo sovereignty but a continuation of the land-grabbing policies that sparked the current ethnic violence in Manipur.”
The radicalized Meitei armed militia, who looted 6,000 automatic rifles from the government and are responsible for killings, rapes, and the destruction of 350 churches, have been granted amnesty. Meanwhile, an unarmed Kuki-Zo youth was mercilessly assaulted by the Indian Army.… pic.twitter.com/3Xy0veW7pE
— H S Benjamin Mate (@BenjaminMate1) March 9, 2025
The statement also condemned the Indian government’s alleged bias, accusing security forces of “shielding and escorting Meitei groups through Kuki areas while abandoning Kuki civilians to fend for themselves.”
“The partisan stance of the central government has never been clearer. They have refused to provide medical escorts to injured Kukis but have gone out of their way to ensure safe passage for Meitei groups,” KOHUR stated. “This is not just discrimination; it is a deliberate attempt to erase the Kuki-Zo people from their own homeland.”
Demand for International Intervention and Justice
KOHUR expressed disappointment at the “deliberate delays” in justice, particularly with the Supreme Court-monitored fact-finding team and the Justice Lamba Commission. The organization urged OHCHR to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Manipur “to bear witness to the suffering of the Kuki-Zo people and to expose the Indian government’s failure to act.”
“We invite Volker Türk and the OHCHR team to come to Manipur and see for themselves the bloodstains on our land, the smoldering remains of our churches, and the unmarked graves of our loved ones,” KOHUR’s statement read. “Let the world know that justice delayed is justice denied.”
The organization also called for a stronger response from the international community, urging global leaders and human rights organizations to “break their silence and hold India accountable for its complicity in ethnic cleansing.”
A Call to Action: The Fight for Justice Continues
KOHUR reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to justice, invoking the historic resistance of the Kuki-Zo people, who fought alongside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) against British rule.
“Our forefathers fought against imperialist oppression then, and we will fight against tyranny now,” the statement declared. “We will not kneel before those who seek to annihilate us. We will not rest until justice is served, and we will not stop marching until our voices are heard.”
The statement concluded with a powerful call for accountability, urging the Indian government to “prioritize justice and a lasting political solution over its national and international image.”
“May better sense prevail,” KOHUR stated. “But if it does not, let history remember that the Kuki-Zo people stood their ground, unwavering and unbroken, in the face of oppression.”
