From Kangpokpi to Churachandpur and Moreh, thousands of Kuki voices united in remembrance, declaring Separation Day as a turning point in their struggle for justice, identity, and safe governance.
BY PC Bureau
May 4, 2025
In a solemn and painful reminder of the enduring wounds left by two years of ethnic conflict, thousands of Kuki people from across Sadar Hills in Kangpokpi District gathered on May 3 to observe Separation Day, under the banner of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU).
With heavy hearts, the Kuki communities held observances at key locations including Kangpokpi Town, Saikul Hill Town, and Leimakhong. The central event took place at Brig. M. Thomas Ground in Kangpokpi District Headquarters.
Described by the community as a “day of severance” from the majority Meitei population of Manipur, the commemoration comes two years after the violent outbreak of 2023 — what the Kuki people regard as a genocide that displaced thousands, destroyed homes, and tore apart the fragile fabric of communal coexistence in the state.
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Calling it a day to “remember pain, assert dignity, and affirm survival,” CoTU enforced a total shutdown across the district. Government offices, banks, schools, private institutions, and all businesses were closed. Traditional livelihood activities like jhumming (shifting cultivation), along with all forms of travel, came to a standstill. No shops opened, no fields were tilled, and no events were held, as the community collectively entered a day of mourning. Vehicular movement was the only activity exempted from the shutdown.
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At Brig. M. Thomas Ground, the atmosphere was thick with grief and resolve. Village chiefs, civil society leaders, intellectuals, social activists, and the general public gathered in solidarity to honor those lost and to reflect on a homeland deeply scarred.
Among the speakers were Ajang Khongsai (President, Kuki Inpi Manipur), Haokholen Kipgen (President, Sadar Hills Chiefs’ Association), Dr. Lamtinthang Haokip (social activist), Thangminlen Kipgen (President, Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills), and Rev. Dr. GS Gangte (Kuki Council representative).
A moving condolence ceremony was led by Dr. Rev. Satkhokai Chongloi of the Kuki Christian Relief Committee (KCRC), while Rev. Lunkhosat Kipgen, General Secretary of EBCCF, offered prayers for the families of those lost.
Speaking with deep emotion, CoTU Vice Chairman Amang Chongloi declared, “Two years on, while much of the world has moved on, we cannot. The wounds of May 3, 2023, remain raw.”
He stressed that Separation Day is a solemn reminder of the irreversible rupture in Kuki–Meitei relations. “It is a day to affirm our identity, mourn our dead, honor our survivors, and declare to the world that coexistence with those who inflicted such pain upon us is no longer possible. The scale of brutality extinguished all hope of reconciliation.”
Today, the #Kuki community in Kanggui Sadar Hills #KukiHills observance
The Two year of Kuki and Meitei #SeparationDay #UnionTerritory4KukiZo@rashtrapatibhvn @RajBhavManipur @HMOIndia @PMOIndia @MIB_India @ANI @PTI_News @IndiaTodayNE @NENowNews @NELiveTV @power_corridors pic.twitter.com/8P7qrhhrjZ— Nampi Romeo Kuki (@Nampiromeokuki) May 3, 2025
He described the events of May 3, 2023, as a calculated pogrom aimed at annihilating the Kuki people — acts of arson, killings, and sexual violence meant to erase their presence from their ancestral land. “Separation Day represents not just physical displacement, but the betrayal of coexistence — a collapse of trust and a wound too deep to silence,” he said.
Chongloi made an impassioned appeal to New Delhi: “We cry for justice. We plead for recognition. We demand a future — a Union Territory with legislature — where the Kuki people can live in safety, dignity, and self-determination, far from those who reduced our lives to smoke and ashes.”
Every shuttered shop, every silent street, and every bowed head bore the same message: the Kuki people will neither forget nor be silenced.
In Churachandpur District, observances were held at the Wall of Remembrance under the aegis of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF). As part of its Jangnadopna Project, the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) provided ₹1 lakh in financial assistance, along with traditional shawls and mementos, to 22 victim families.
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Several leaders addressed the gathering, including Paolienlal Haokip (MLA, Saikot), Henlianthang Thanglet (Chairman, Kuki Council), Vungzagin Valte (MLA, Thanlon), and L.M. Khaute (MLA, Churachandpur).
Other observances took place at Sangaikot Community Hall in Sangaikot Sub-Division, attended by MLA Chinlunthang, and in the border town of Moreh, where the Hill Tribal Council organized a memorial event to honor victims and renew the call for a separate administration.
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