Kuki Alliance Slams COCOMI's "Reckless" Statement, Accuses It of Inciting Hatred and Threatening Peace in Manipur

The Kuki Alliance for Nampi Awakening Movement (KANAM) has issued a strong rebuttal to the statement released by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on 21st March 2025, calling it a reckless and inflammatory attack aimed at undermining the peace process in Manipur. KANAM argues that the COCOMI's assertions, including the baseless labeling of political actors under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement as "narco-terrorists," are not only defamatory but a direct challenge to the constitutionally recognized mechanisms facilitated by the Government of India.

KANAM condemns COCOMI’s continued efforts to communalize the situation, particularly targeting the Kuki-Zo people. KANAM refutes COCOMI’s claims of demographic manipulation and the existence of 67,000 "bogus voters," calling these allegations entirely baseless. According to KANAM, such inflammatory rhetoric is designed to justify the denial of constitutional rights to tribal communities under the guise of nationalism.

In addition, KANAM strongly rejects COCOMI’s repeated and unfounded accusations that the Kuki-Zo people are linked to the drug trade. KANAM asserts that narcotics networks operate throughout the state of Manipur, including in the valley, where Meitei-controlled syndicates have alleged political patronage. KANAM challenges COCOMI to address the issue of drugs in its own backyard rather than using the poppy issue as a pretext to displace tribal villagers from their ancestral lands.

The Kuki Alliance also emphasizes that COCOMI has no legitimate authority to dictate terms regarding matters such as delimitation, National Register of Citizens (NRC), or national security. KANAM states that such actions by COCOMI are a direct threat to the constitutional order and sovereignty of Indian institutions, warning that they reflect an agenda to establish a Meitei ethnocratic state under the banner of "Kangleipak," which comes at the expense of tribal existence.

KANAM further reminds all concerned parties that delimitation is a sovereign function of the Election Commission of India, and the rights of tribals, as guaranteed by the Constitution of India, are not open to negotiation or compromise by ethnonationalist groups.

In closing, KANAM condemns COCOMI’s communally charged rhetoric, which it believes is a serious threat to peace and national integrity. The alliance urges the Government of India to take firm action, calling the conduct of such groups seditious and stressing that India is a nation governed by law, not by mobs.