The article argues that the Kuki-Zo community risks becoming the “forgotten victims” of the conflict, while fresh violence in new regions highlights the continuing fragility of peace across the state.
By Dr Chinkholal Thangsing
June 2, 2026
“Justice is not measured by how we treat the powerful, but by whether we remember, protect, and restore those who have suffered when the world has moved on.”
There are tragedies that shock the conscience of a nation, and there are tragedies that slowly fade from public attention while the victims continue to suffer in silence. Manipur has become both. More than three years after violence erupted on 3 May 2023, thousands continue to live with the pain of bereavement, displacement, destruction, and uncertainty. Families have buried loved ones, communities have watched their homes, villages, and places of worship burn, and children have grown up knowing relief camps more intimately than the homes from which they were driven.
Yet as time passes, the greatest danger is not only the continuation of suffering but the gradual normalization—and even forgetting—of it. Any honest assessment of the Manipur crisis must acknowledge the pain of all affected communities. At the same time, it must confront a difficult question: what happens when a people’s tragedy remains unresolved long after the nation has stopped paying attention?
The Kuki-Zo community has unquestionably endured some of the gravest consequences of the violence since its outbreak. More than 250 lives have been lost, many under horrific and deeply disturbing circumstances that have left lasting scars on the collective memory of the people. Innocent civilians—including women, children, the elderly, community leaders, and religious workers—were caught in a wave of violence marked not only by killings but also by shocking acts of brutality, rape, mutilation, and desecration of the dead, violating the most basic principles of human dignity and civilized conduct. Entire villages were reduced to ashes. Churches and places of worship, which once served as sanctuaries of faith, hope, and community, were desecrated and destroyed.
More than 50,000 men, women, and children were uprooted from their homes in the Imphal Valley and other mixed-population areas, forced to flee with little more than the clothes they wore. Livelihoods painstakingly built over generations vanished almost overnight. Families lost not only houses, land, farms, businesses, and possessions, but also loved ones, cherished memories, and the profound sense of security, belonging, and equal citizenship that binds people to a place they call home. For countless survivors, the tragedy is measured not merely in physical destruction but in the haunting memories of lives cut short, families torn apart, communities shattered, and an enduring sense of injustice that continues to linger long after the violence itself.
The trauma extends far beyond physical displacement for the Kuki Zo people. It is accompanied by a profound sense of loss, uprootedness, and exclusion from places they once called home. Entire communities that had lived for generations in the Imphal Valley and other mixed-population areas were forced to flee, leaving behind not only houses and possessions but also memories, livelihoods, places of worship, and the deep emotional bonds that connect people to their homeland.
READ: NEET Re-Exam Portal Faces Claims of Cybersecurity Exposure
More than three years later, they are still grappling with uncertainty about their future. What was initially viewed as a temporary humanitarian emergency has, for many, become a prolonged condition of displacement and insecurity. The crisis that once commanded national attention has gradually faded from public discourse, yet its consequences remain painfully real for those who continue to endure its effects every day. Behind the statistics are families waiting to rebuild their lives, children growing up away from the homes they once knew, and an entire community carrying the enduring burden of loss, trauma, and unanswered questions about justice, security,
READ: Manipur Hostage Crisis: When Impunity Becomes State Policy
The events since May 2023 have profoundly reshaped perceptions of security, governance, and their future within the existing political and administrative framework within the Kuki Zo community. The scale of violence, displacement, and loss has given rise to a widespread belief that lasting peace and stability can only be achieved through stronger constitutional safeguards that adequately protect their identity, land rights, political representation, and collective security. It is within this context that the demand for a separate Union Territory under the Constitution of India has gained unprecedented prominence. For its proponents, the demand is not merely an administrative or political proposition; rather, it is viewed as a democratic and constitutional mechanism to ensure security, safeguard indigenous rights, restore public confidence, and create conditions for sustainable peace and development. To many Kuki-Zo people, it represents a legitimate and peaceful pathway toward preventing the recurrence of the large-scale violence, displacement, and insecurity witnessed since May 2023.
Subsequent developments have only reinforced these concerns. Prolonged disruptions of key transportation routes, restrictions on movement, unresolved territorial disputes, recurring security incidents, and continuing tensions in various parts of the State have deepened anxieties among many Kuki-Zo families. For those already displaced by the violence, these developments have strengthened the perception that their vulnerability did not end with their displacement and that a durable political and constitutional solution remains essential for ensuring long-term peace, security, and coexistence.
Recent incidents in Litan, parts of Ukhrul district, and adjoining areas have further deepened fears and uncertainty among affected communities. The burning of dozens of homes, attacks on villages, the killing of civilians, and the tragic ambush of church leaders returning from a peace and reconciliation gathering have underscored the continuing fragility of peace in the region. In one of the most disturbing incidents, three respected Kuki-Zo church leaders killed in an armed ambush while returning from a Baptist convention and peace conference, while several others sustained serious injuries. The fact that religious leaders engaged in efforts to promote dialogue and reconciliation became victims of violence sent shockwaves throughout the region and highlighted the dangers faced even by those working for peace.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder that the consequences of the Manipur conflict have not remained confined to the original flashpoints of violence that erupted in May 2023. Instead, insecurity has spread into new regions and communities, widening the humanitarian and security crisis. Particularly alarming is the reality that unarmed civilians, religious leaders, women, children, and ordinary villagers—individuals with no role in creating the conflict—have increasingly become victims of violence. Reports of abductions, hostage-taking, retaliatory attacks, and recurring cycles of revenge reveal a deeply troubling reality: ordinary people continue to bear the heaviest cost of political disputes, ethnic tensions, and failures of governance beyond their control.
Every new incident not only claims lives and destroys property but also erodes confidence in peace, weakens inter-community trust, and leaves lasting psychological scars that may endure for generations. For many affected communities, the fear is no longer limited to what has happened, but to what may yet happen if the cycle of violence continues unchecked. Unless addressed through effective security measures, impartial justice, meaningful reconciliation, and a durable political settlement, the crisis risks becoming further entrenched, pushing peace, coexistence, and mutual trust ever further out of reach. The persistence of violence and the inability of thousands of displaced persons to return safely to their homes have further reinforced the belief among many Kuki-Zo people that durable peace requires institutional and constitutional safeguards. In their view, constitutional protection through a separate administrative arrangement within the Union of India would provide the legal and political framework necessary to protect vulnerable populations, preserve indigenous land rights, ensure equitable development, and restore confidence in governance.
Against this backdrop, a difficult question is increasingly being asked in public discourse: Have the Kuki-Zo become the forgotten victims while others are becoming the new victims of an expanding conflict?
The answer is neither simple nor comfortable.
There is a strong case to be made that the Kuki-Zo risk becoming forgotten victims. The scale of their displacement, loss, and continued uncertainty remains largely unresolved despite the passage of time. Thousands remain displaced. Many have not received meaningful rehabilitation. Accountability for numerous killings, acts of arson, and destruction of property remains incomplete. As public attention shifts elsewhere, there is a danger that their suffering becomes normalized rather than addressed.
It is within this context that the Kuki-Zo demand for Constitutional protection and a Union Territory assumes particular significance. The demand is rooted in the belief that lasting peace cannot rest solely upon temporary security arrangements, ceasefires, or crisis management measures. Rather, it must be anchored in constitutional mechanisms that guarantee protection, representation, self-governance, and security. Advocates of the demand argue that a Union Territory under the Constitution of India offers a peaceful, democratic, and legally recognized solution capable of addressing the deep trust deficit that has emerged since May 2023.
At the same time, it would be inaccurate—and ultimately unhelpful—to portray Naga communities simply as “the new victims” of Manipur’s continuing turmoil. Naga communities have their own legitimate security concerns, historical grievances, and recent experiences of violence. When Naga villages or civilians come under attack, they too become victims deserving protection, dignity, and justice. The pain of one community should never be used to diminish or invalidate the suffering of another.
What is becoming increasingly evident, however, is that the violence that erupted in May 2023 was never truly extinguished. While periods of relative calm created the impression that the crisis was subsiding, the underlying tensions, mistrust, unresolved grievances, and competing political aspirations remained largely unaddressed. The fire of conflict may have appeared contained, but its embers continued to smolder beneath the surface. Recent clashes involving Kuki-Zo and Naga communities in areas such as Litan and adjoining regions demonstrate how quickly those embers can reignite into fresh flames, drawing new communities into cycles of fear, confrontation, and loss.
The deeper and more troubling reality is that Manipur appears to be entering a dangerous phase where victimhood itself has become contested. Almost every community today points to its own wounds, losses, insecurities, and grievances—and many of those claims are rooted in genuine suffering. Meiteis speak of insecurity, deaths, and displacement. Kuki-Zos continue to bear the burden of large-scale displacement, destruction, and loss of life. Nagas increasingly voice concerns about security, territorial disputes, and recent violence affecting their communities. As a result, competing narratives of victimhood have begun to emerge, with each group seeking recognition for its suffering and fearing that its pain is being overlooked or minimized.
Yet when suffering is viewed exclusively through ethnic lenses, empathy begins to diminish. Communities become trapped in parallel narratives of pain, where acknowledgment of another’s suffering is wrongly perceived as a denial of one’s own. In such an environment, mistrust deepens, divisions harden, and reconciliation becomes increasingly difficult. The real tragedy, therefore, is not that one community has replaced another as the victim. The real tragedy is that Manipur continues to produce new victims from every community because the underlying causes of conflict remain unresolved, while the hope for a shared and peaceful future grows ever more fragile.
The real tragedy is that Manipur continues to produce successive waves of victims while meaningful political solutions remain absent. For the Kuki-Zo people, one such proposed solution has consistently been the creation of a Constitutionally protected Union Territory within the Union of India. Whether one agrees with the proposal or not, it is increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that this demand now reflects the aspirations of a substantial section of the community seeking security, dignity, justice, and a political arrangement that they believe can guarantee their future within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
Three years into the crisis, several urgent questions continue to demand honest answers:
- How will displaced Kuki-Zo families be permanently rehabilitated with dignity, security, and justice?
- How will accountability be ensured for killings, arson, destruction of homes, and other crimes, regardless of the ethnicity of the perpetrators?
- How will transportation routes and access to essential services be protected from disruption?
- How will competing territorial claims and inter-community disputes be addressed without violence?
- How will religious leaders, civilians, women, children, and other vulnerable populations be protected from targeted attacks?
- How can the democratic aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people, including their demand for Constitutional safeguards and a Union Territory under the Constitution of India, be addressed through peaceful dialogue and democratic processes?
- What political and administrative framework can restore confidence, security, and coexistence among Meiteis, Kuki-Zos, and Nagas?
These are not merely policy questions. They are moral questions that will determine the future of Manipur. Until credible answers emerge, many Kuki-Zo people will continue to feel forgotten. Many Naga communities will continue to feel threatened. Many Meitei families will continue to live with insecurity and uncertainty. None of these fears can be dismissed, and none can be resolved through denial, propaganda, or force.
The responsibility before policymakers, civil society organizations, religious leaders, intellectuals, and community representatives is therefore immense. The task is not to compete over whose suffering is greater. The task is to ensure that every community’s suffering is acknowledged, every victim is remembered, every injustice is investigated, and every citizen receives equal protection under the law.
For the Kuki-Zo people, the search for justice has increasingly become inseparable from the search for Constitutional protection. Their demand for a Union Territory is not simply about administrative reorganization. It is fundamentally about security, dignity, recognition, equal citizenship, and the assurance that future generations can live without fear of displacement, exclusion, persecution, or violence. Whether through a Union Territory or another mutually acceptable constitutional arrangement, any lasting solution must address the profound trust deficit that has emerged since May 2023 and provide credible guarantees for peace, security, and self-governance.
History will not ultimately judge Manipur by which community suffered the most. History will judge whether the suffering of all communities was honestly acknowledged, whether truth was courageously spoken, whether justice was impartially pursued, and whether durable political solutions were found to protect vulnerable populations and uphold the constitutional rights of every citizen. Peace cannot be built upon silence. Reconciliation cannot be sustained without justice. Stability cannot endure where entire communities continue to live in fear. The challenge before India, Manipur, and all stakeholders is therefore not merely to end violence, but to create a constitutional and political framework in which every community—Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga alike—can live with security, dignity, equality, and confidence in the future.
Only then can the wounds of the past begin to heal. Only then can Manipur move from a history of recurring conflict toward a future founded on justice, peace, constitutional protection, and lasting coexistence.
(Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing is a respected physician, President of Lamka City of Hope, and a leading advocate for the rights, dignity, and aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people)
