Recent peace efforts led by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs are facing fresh challenges following reports of heavily armed cadres from the Meitei Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP-PWG) taking shelter in the Kangchup region of Kangpokpi District. The militia’s presence in the Kuki-Zo villages has raised concerns and tensions among local communities, threatening the fragile peace in the area.
In a startling development, over 70 armed members of the KCP-PWG group, equipped with advanced assault rifles, reportedly made a forceful entry into Patjang Village, located in the Sadar Hills of Kangchup, a region predominantly inhabited by the Kuki people. Reports suggest that the KCP-PWG—a prominent insurgent faction advocating for an independent Kangleipak, the historic Meitei kingdom—may be close to a ceasefire agreement with the Government of Manipur. However, this move has sparked uncertainty and fears of renewed conflict.
Kangchup Patjang village, previously devastated in the recent ethnic conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023, was burned to ashes on May 4, resulting in the displacement of its residents to relief camps across Kangpokpi District. The village lies just a kilometer from Pheiyeng, a Meitei-majority village in Imphal West.
While the government had constructed pre-fabricated houses in the area to station Central Security forces, this initiative was met with strong opposition from Meitei civil society groups and the Meira Paibis women’s organization. Now, the stationing of the armed KCP-PWG group in Kangchup Patjang has reignited tensions along the already volatile Kangchup frontlines, prompting local leaders to question the motives behind this move and its implications for regional stability.
In response, neighboring Kuki-Zo villagers voiced their deep unease, questioning why armed Meitei militants had encroached into Kuki villages and expressing fears over potential violence. In a collective appeal, the villagers urged the Central Government to act swiftly to expel the armed militants from Kangchup Patjang, warning that peace will remain elusive as long as Meitei forces occupy lands within Kangpokpi District.
Determined to defend their territory, the Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers are mobilizing, signaling their readiness to reclaim their lands and remove the armed Meitei presence from the district. The group issued a stern warning, stating they may resort to “extreme measures” to expel the KCP-PWG forces from Kangchup Patjang should the government fail to intervene.
This escalation highlights the delicate and fragile state of peace in Manipur, as communities await decisive government action to prevent further violence and restore stability in the region.
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
