The Kuki Students’ Organisation has approached the Manipur Governor, alleging that Kuki-Zo students and staff of IGNTU’s regional campus remain displaced and unable to access academic and administrative services nearly two years after ethnic violence erupted in the state.
BY PC Bureau
January 12, 2026: The Kuki Students’ Organisation–General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ) has urged the Governor of Manipur to intervene urgently in what it describes as a deepening crisis affecting Kuki-Zo students and employees of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University–Regional Campus Manipur (IGNTU-RCM), following the ethnic violence that erupted in the state in May 2023.
In a formal representation submitted on January 12, the organisation said Kuki-Zo students and staff of IGNTU-RCM have been internally displaced since the outbreak of violence and have been unable to access the university campus at Makhan in Kangpokpi district due to continuing security and trust concerns.
The KSO stated that while Kuki-Zo students and employees were forced to seek safety elsewhere, the administrative functioning of IGNTU-RCM has continued intermittently from Imphal, primarily catering to non-Kuki-Zo communities. This, the organisation said, has resulted in “grossly unjustifiable” exclusion and unequal access for Kuki-Zo students.
“This situation undermines the very essence of IGNTU-RCM, which was envisioned to serve all tribal communities of Manipur and not any particular group,” the letter said.
Demand for Temporary Office in Churachandpur
Citing prolonged displacement and logistical barriers, the KSO has requested the Governor’s intervention to facilitate the establishment of a temporary IGNTU-RCM office in Churachandpur, a Kuki-Zo-dominated district. According to the organisation, such an arrangement would help ensure academic continuity for students and enable Kuki-Zo employees to discharge their duties efficiently and safely.
The organisation argued that without such an intervention, Kuki-Zo students remain at a severe disadvantage, affecting their education, examinations, and access to administrative services.
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Concerns Over Guest Faculty Appointments
The representation also raised serious concerns about the prolonged engagement of guest faculty in the university’s Department of Tribal Studies and Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology. According to KSO, these departments have been functioning since 2013 without any permanent faculty appointments.
The letter notes that guest faculty members have continued to shoulder the responsibilities of permanent staff without regular recruitment processes being initiated for over a decade. The organisation termed this situation “sheer exploitation” and called for immediate corrective measures.
Copies of the representation have been forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor of IGNTU at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, and the Director of IGNTU-RCM, urging prompt administrative and policy-level intervention.
The letter is signed by Dr Seiboi Touthang, General Secretary of KSO-GHQ, and Jackmoi Haokip, Education Secretary, reflecting the collective position of the organisation’s 28 constituent units spread across Manipur and other states.
The appeal comes amid continued uncertainty over the resumption of normal academic activities at IGNTU-RCM for displaced communities, nearly two and a half years after ethnic violence disrupted higher education across large parts of Manipur.
The Governor’s office has not yet issued an official response to the representation.
