The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has raised alarm over the assault on Konsakhul’s village chief and chairman, asserting it’s a systematic attempt by “foreign-origin immigrant groups” to displace indigenous Liangmai people through violence and illegal land occupation. They cite previous attacks and call for immediate action from state and central governments to protect native land rights.
BY PC BUREAU
A prominent Manipur-based Meitie civil organization, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), has issued a strong condemnation following a violent assault on the village chief and chairman of Konsakhul, a Liangmai (Naga) village situated in the Kangpokpi district.
In a statement released on Monday, COCOMI described the attack as “brazen” and alleged that it was perpetrated by newly settled groups identified as being from the Chin-Kuki community. The committee asserted that this incident is not isolated but rather “part of an escalating pattern of aggression and land encroachment targeting indigenous people of Manipur in the hill areas.”
COCOMI emphasized the ancestral significance of Konsakhul to the Liangmai people, who they identified as original inhabitants with a long-standing historical and cultural presence in the region. “The physical assault on their traditional leaders is a direct affront to their inherent rights and dignity,” the statement read, further expressing alarm that it “signifies a systematic attempt to displace Indigenous communities through violence, coercion, and illegal occupation of their land.”
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The committee reiterated its previous warnings regarding the “dangerous trend of forced occupation and expansionist activities by foreign-origin immigrant groups,” many of whom they claim have been settling in the region after crossing the porous Indo-Myanmar border over several decades. COCOMI alleged that these groups, operating under the guise of tenancy or temporary leases, have engaged in “aggressive land grabbing, illegal plantations, and violent intimidation of native villagers.” They cautioned that this ongoing encroachment not only threatens the security and survival of the Liangmai people but also risks “igniting larger communal unrest in an already fragile region.”
COCOMI drew attention to a series of similar past incidents, including the brutal assault on Hotngambou, a former chairman of a Liangmai village in Chalwa, Kangpokpi, in September 2023, allegedly by cadres of the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA). They also cited the harassment and assault of a Naga woman in K. Lungwiram village in January 2025 by Kuki settlers as she attempted to build on her rightful land. Furthermore, COCOMI highlighted the presence of “multiple illegal checkpoints and road blockades staged by these militant-backed settler groups,” which they claim are “further strangulating the native population’s freedom of movement and access to resources.”
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The committee asserted that these targeted assaults are not merely law-and-order issues but represent “a dangerous challenge to the territorial integrity of Manipur and a direct threat to the livelihood, culture, and existence of the indigenous Liangmai people and other native communities.”
In response to the escalating situation, COCOMI called upon the Government of Manipur and the Union Government of India to “immediately intervene and take decisive action to restore law and order in Konsakhul and other affected areas.” They also urged law enforcement agencies to “arrest and prosecute all perpetrators of violence and illegal encroachment.” Furthermore, COCOMI stressed the need for authorities to “recognise and safeguard the customary land rights of Indigenous people, ensuring their security and dignity are upheld without compromise.”
COCOMI concluded by reiterating that the “forceful seizure of indigenous lands by foreign-origin settlers” carries serious implications for the future of Manipur. “If left unchecked, this will destabilize the socio-political fabric of the state and undermine the state’s territorial integrity,” they warned. The committee affirmed its solidarity with the Liangmai community and all indigenous peoples of Manipur in their “rightful struggle to protect their lands, their culture, and their future securities.”
