Kuki-Zo leaders say attempts to resettle Meiteis in hill areas such as Torbung threaten fragile peace and risk reigniting ethnic violence that has plagued Manipur since 2023.
By PC Bureau
December 21, 2025: In a fresh reminder of the deepening ethnic divide in Manipur, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) has called for a peaceful sit-in protest (dharna) at Torbung in Churachandpur district on December 22, citing alleged breaches of the buffer zone by Meitei groups.
The protest, scheduled for 11:00 am, is aimed at mobilising the Kuki-Zo community against what the ITLF describes as “continued and deliberate attempts” by Meiteis to cross into hill areas designated as buffer zones. The call underscores the Kuki-Zo community’s continued resistance to any move that would allow Meiteis to resettle in hill regions, amid fears of renewed violence in a conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives since 2023.
In a public notice issued by ITLF Secretary (Information and Publicity) Ginza Vualzong, the forum warned that repeated buffer-zone violations risk reigniting large-scale violence. The statement also referred to reports of explosives being planted beyond the buffer zone by unidentified miscreants, saying such incidents have spread fear and disrupted the Christmas season — a sacred period for the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo population.
Appealing for unity, the ITLF called upon elders, women, youth groups, civil society organisations and church leaders to participate in the dharna, stressing that the protest would remain peaceful and focused on demands for safety, peace and respect for existing buffer-zone arrangements.
Background: Torbung and the Buffer Zone
The protest follows renewed tensions in Torbung, a volatile border village between Meitei-majority Bishnupur district and Kuki-majority Churachandpur district. Torbung was one of the first flashpoints of the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, after a tribal solidarity march opposing the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
That violence rapidly spiralled into widespread arson, killings and displacement, leaving over 250 people dead and thousands homeless. Since then, Manipur has remained effectively divided into ethnic enclaves, separated by buffer zones manned by security forces.
Tensions flared again on December 16, 2025, when armed miscreants allegedly fired shots and hurled explosives near Torbung and neighbouring Phougakchao Ikhai village. Local sources reported multiple rounds of gunfire between 8:40 pm and 9:00 pm, prompting retaliatory action by security forces. No casualties were reported, but the incident led to heightened security deployment in the area.
Meitei villagers who had recently begun returning to Torbung after more than two years of displacement accused Kuki militants of attempting to intimidate them. Kuki-Zo organisations, including the Kuki-Zo Council, condemned the resettlement in the buffer zone as a provocative breach of the buffer zone that could destabilise fragile peace efforts.
Meitei bodies such as the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) countered by describing the firing as a deliberate act of terror against civilians and flagged what they called serious security lapses.
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A Broader Political Signal
The planned dharna reflects the Kuki-Zo community’s broader political stance, including a long-standing demand for a separate administration for Manipur’s hill districts. Kuki-Zo leaders argue that Meitei resettlement in hill areas threatens their autonomy, land rights and cultural identity, while Meitei groups frame such returns as a legitimate reclaiming of ancestral homes.
With both sides accusing the other of violating informal understandings around buffer zones, Torbung has become a potent symbol of contested territory and unresolved grievances.
While the ITLF has emphasised that the dharna will remain peaceful, any counter-mobilisation could further inflame tensions. It was also not clear with security forces will allow the protest in a such a sensitive zone.
With Manipur’s conflict now entering its third year and political dialogue yielding little progress, the ITLF’s call for protest underscores how entrenched positions on territorial control and identity continue to push the state further from reconciliation.
