Meitei and Naga groups hold first joint rally in Imphal in 3 years

Meitei and Naga civil society organisations in Manipur are holding a joint rally in Imphal on Saturday, October 31, the first time the two sides have mobilised together since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023, according to The Times of India.

The rally carries the theme "Chingmi-Tammi", meaning hill-valley unity, and is aimed at what the organisers call solidarity among the state's indigenous communities.

Who is organising

The mobilisation is being jointly organised by the Meitei umbrella body Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the Joint Tribe Council Manipur, the Foothill Naga Co-ordination Committee, the Naga Peoples' Union, Imphal, the Inpui Naga Union and the Naga Humanitarian Aids Committee, Manipur.

The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, endorsed the rally on Thursday, and the All Naga Students' Association, Manipur (ANSAM) has also backed it.

The demands

According to the organisers, the rally will press for:

• abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement that the Centre and the Manipur government signed in 2008 with Kuki armed groups
• an end to what they describe as a "proxy war" in the state
• rehabilitation and safe return of internally displaced families
• replacement of the Assam Rifles, especially in border areas, with another central force such as the BSF

In a statement, UNC president NG Lorho said indigenous communities faced a deteriorating security situation and accused Kuki armed groups of operating under the cover of the SoO pact. The UNC also questioned the role of the Assam Rifles in border and conflict-hit areas, saying it was seen as partisan.

At a press conference in Imphal on Friday, COCOMI women's wing convenor Luwangleima urged people from all indigenous communities to set aside differences and join in large numbers, Imphal Times reported. COCOMI convener YK Dhiren has also appealed for participation.

Kuki-Zo travel advisory

On the eve of the rally, the Kuki-Zo body Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) advised Kuki-Zo people in Sadar Hills and nearby Kuki-inhabited areas not to travel outside those areas, whether for essential or non-essential reasons. It said the safety of people on the road could not be guaranteed, and that the advisory was a precaution, not meant to create panic or provoke any community.

Background

The Meitei-Kuki conflict began in May 2023, and Kuki-Naga clashes were added to it from February this year. The SoO arrangement has come under renewed scrutiny after an October 23 security operation at a camp in Kangpokpi district, where 17 people allegedly posing as registered cadres of Kuki groups were arrested and 24 firearms seized.

Kangpokpi district has also been under a shutdown this week over the abduction of two Kuki youths, who have not yet been traced.

NEInsider will update this story with developments from the rally.