On Saturday, thousands of people marched through Imphal’s streets to demand that Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity be preserved at all costs, and that the Centre reinstate an elected administration in the state or face dire consequences.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of many Meitei civil society organisations, organised the 5 km march from Tiddim Ground to the heart of the city via Khwairamband Ima Keithel. The demonstration comes just weeks before the first anniversary of President’s Rule in the state. The Manipur assembly was placed in’suspended animation’ on February 13, 2025, following the resignation of then-chief minister N. Biren Singh.
Former COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba stated that the large number of protesters, including displaced people, 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 having 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 highly apprehensive and upset about the policy, initiatives, and attitude of the Indian government. And today, at this demonstration, people have turned out in large numbers to deliver a clear message: enough of this proxy war. “It is time for the Indian government to change its policy toward Manipur,” Athouba stated.
Later, the demonstrators issued an eight-point list of demands, including the lifting of the suspension of the agreement with the Kuki militants and prompt action against them for breaking the ground rules. The government must protect Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity, as the Kuki community seeks a distinct administrative structure for its members.
