Sunday’s confrontation is the latest in a long string of escalations since the 2023 violence that claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands in Manipur.
PC Bureau
IMPHAL, JUNE 16:
Fresh tensions have erupted in strife-hit Manipur after the Kuki Inpi Youth Affairs (KIYA) accused an organized Meitei mob of forcibly breaching the inter-community buffer zone in Saikul subdivision of Kangpokpi district on Sunday morning. The group allegedly entered the Wakan Kuki area around 8 AM, taking advantage of Sunday worship hours to cross into tribal-held territory under the pretext of agricultural activity.
In a strongly worded press communiqué issued on Monday, KIYA said the breach was not an isolated case but part of a “broader campaign of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement” targeting Kuki villages. The youth body accused the group, said to be from Leitanpokpi in Imphal East, of attempting to plough and mark lands that fall within the buffer zone, calling the action a premeditated provocation aimed at testing tribal restraint.
The buffer zones were created in the aftermath of the May 2023 ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community and tribal groups, primarily Kukis and Nagas. Over 200 people were killed and thousands of homes destroyed in the conflict, which was triggered by a controversial Manipur High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis. Since then, central paramilitary forces have been tasked with guarding the sensitive zones dividing the valley and hill districts, but KIYA’s latest statement has raised serious questions about the effectiveness—and neutrality—of these forces.
16th June 2025
Statement on Meitei Incursion into Kuki Territory by Department of Youth Affairs, Kuki Inpi Manipur pic.twitter.com/EVu0X5bU9Q
— Kuki Inpi (@Kuki_Inpi) June 16, 2025
“Where were the Central Forces when such a large mob moved in broad daylight? How can such violations go unchecked unless there is deliberate inaction?” the statement asked, suggesting either complacency or complicity. Eyewitnesses in Wakan village said that more than 50 individuals were involved in Sunday’s incursion, with some carrying tools and escorted by a few armed men.
While there has been no official response from the state government, the development has deepened fears of renewed confrontation between communities. Tribal civil society organizations in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts have issued statements echoing KIYA’s concerns, demanding immediate government intervention and the arrest of those responsible.
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The Kuki youth wing also issued a direct warning to the Meitei community and security agencies. “Let it be clear: Kuki youths will no longer remain passive in the face of such systematic aggression. If the government fails to protect us, we will take all necessary measures to defend our land, our rights, and our future,” the statement concluded.
Political observers say the Sunday breach, if left unaddressed, could unravel months of painstaking calm in the region. “This is a flashpoint moment,” said a security analyst based in Guwahati. “If the state fails to act firmly, retaliatory violence may return, and this time, it will be harder to contain.”
Though Meitei civil organizations have not issued a response, they have in the past maintained that many disputed buffer zone areas historically belonged to valley residents and that they are merely reclaiming ancestral land. This narrative, however, is vehemently contested by tribal groups who view such moves as encroachments designed to dilute tribal autonomy.
As dusk settles over Manipur’s fractured landscape once again, the warning from KIYA serves as a reminder that peace, for now, hangs by a thread. Unless accountability is swiftly ensured, the state may witness another dangerous slide into ethnic strife.
