E-Paper
In Imphal, a huge rally asserts COCOMI stand on Manipur’s territorial integrity
The march, which covered 5 km from Tiddim Ground to the heart of the city, was organised by the COCOMI, an umbrella body of several Meitei civil society organisations.
IMPHAL: Thousands of people took to the streets of Imphal on Saturday for a mass rally to assert that Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity should not be tinkered with at any cost, and that the Centre should reinstate an elected government in the state or face serious consequences.
The march, which covered 5 km from Tiddim Ground to the heart of the city through Khwairamband Ima Keithel, was organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of several Meitei civil society organisations. The protest comes weeks ahead of the first anniversary of President’s Rule in the state. The Manipur assembly was placed under ‘suspended animation’ on February 13, 2025, following the resignation of then- chief minister N. Biren Singh.
Former COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said the participation of a large number of protesters, including displaced persons, was “a kind of response given by the people of Manipur that truly expressed their discontentment towards the policy of the Government of India in regard to this ongoing crisis in the state of Manipur.”
“Now the people have already understood that this is not a natural ethnic conflict that has created the crisis in the state of Manipur,” he said, accusing the government of displaying a “complicit attitude” by failing to respond effectively to repeated terrorist attacks in areas such as Ireng Naga village, Torbung, Saiton Nganukon and the recent killing of Rishikant.
“The people of Manipur are now very anxious and very angry towards the policy, the initiatives and the attitude of the Government of India. And today in this rally, people have come out in huge numbers to send a clear message that it’s enough of their proxy war. It is time for the Government of India to change its policy towards the state of Manipur,” Athouba added.
Later, the protesters pressed an eight-point list of demands, including the withdrawal of the suspension of the agreement with the Kuki militants and taking immediate action against them for violating the ground rules.
They also demanded that the government respect Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity, a call made amid the Kuki community’s push for a separate administrative mechanism for its members.
Ethnic clashes in Manipur first erupted on May 3, 2023, during protests against a court-ordered move to include the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list. The violence rapidly spread across the state, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled their homes, often taking shelter in forests or crossing into neighbouring states. The clashes have claimed over 260 lives to date, displacing more than 60,000 from both sides.
