Over 50 Kuki women were injured in clashes with security forces at Saibol village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, escalating tensions in the strife-torn state on the final day of 2024.
A 45-year-old woman sustained injuries from a rubber bullet to her right eye and was transferred to a hospital in Guwahati, according to local sources. Her 18-year-old daughter was also among those hurt during the protest. Most of the injured are being treated at the Saikul community health centre.
The incident occurred when women protesters attempted to prevent the deployment of Army, Border Security Force (BSF), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Saibol Lungtin subdivision. The The Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) identified several casualties including Nemmoiching Guite (22), Lhingneijam Guite (45), and Veilhing Haolai (60), among others.
“The security forces' action followed several days of tension. A meeting between Central Forces and civil society organisations on December 29 had agreed that Saibol Post No.1, the most strategic post, would be manned by Central Forces under Kangpokpi district police,” Rev. Dr. Van Lalnghakthang Khawbung told Christian Today. “However, security forces from the valley side under Imphal East began to storm the area, which infuriated our people.”
“The joint SF dispersed the crowd with minimum use of force and now the situation is peaceful and under control,” Manipur Police stated on X (formerly Twitter), adding that forces were “deployed at the hilltop to dominate the area and prevent any untoward incident.”
“It was like a battlefield,” said one protester. “We came to voice our concerns, not to face war tactics.” The women emphasised that the community bunkers “are not mere structures but their sole line of defence against the recurrent attacks.”
The protests began on December 28, when hundreds of Kuki-Zo women from the Bungpi Region in Sadar Hills demonstrated against what they described as “continuous attacks” on their community in Saibol, Twichin-Phaimol, and Khonomphai. The assaults had reportedly disrupted Christmas celebrations since December 24.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) reported over 30 women sustained serious injuries, including a severe head injury, calling it “a gross violation of human rights and an affront to the dignity of the Kuki-Zo community.”
“Security forces who are supposed to protect the civilians are committing violence, which is saddening and unacceptable,” said Rev. Onkho Haokip of the Kuki Baptist Convention to Christian Today.
In response to Tuesday’s incident, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) announced an “indefinite economic blockade” on National Highway 2, a crucial route connecting northeastern states. “We already have the 4th Mahar regiment deployed in Saikul who are enough to maintain peace and no other CAPF are needed,” CoTU spokesperson Lun Kipgen told the media.
The Kuki Women’s Forum Delhi strongly condemned what they termed “systemic violence” that has “further escalated since Christmas Eve when Meitei terrorists began attacking Kuki-Zo areas.” The organisation alleged that the security forces had “sided with Meitei terrorists” instead of protecting the Kuki-Zo community.
The KWOHR has demanded “a full and impartial investigation into the events of December 31, 2024” and called for immediate action against those responsible for the violence. The organisation highlighted the “growing distrust in the central security forces” as a “direct result of their failure to protect the vulnerable.”
The clash comes amid ongoing ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities that has claimed over 250 lives since May 2023. Saibol village lies approximately 2 kilometres from Twichin, in the buffer zone between Kuki-dominated hills and the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley.
On the same day, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh apologised for the prolonged conflict. “This entire year has been very unfortunate. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I really feel regret,” he said, revealing that over 12,000 FIRs had been registered and more than 600 accused arrested.
However, leaders in Manipur are cautious and are not swayed by this apology. “Chief Minister Biren Singh keeps changing his narratives and dialogues. Today's speech will not be there any more after a week,” said Haokip.
Khawbung agrees with that sentiment. “His (CM) apology will not result in the repair of the damage already caused. Biren Singh has lost the confidence of the Kuki-Zo community completely.”
The deployment of security forces had been announced on November 22 following the abduction and killing of six members of a Meitei family in Jiribam district. The Centre had planned to deploy 90 Central Armed Police Force companies—approximately 9,000 personnel—in the state.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur, in a December 31 statement, called the actions against protesters “wanton brutality” and demanded that “established buffer zones be honoured and strictly enforced.” They urged immediate action to “neutralise and disarm the armed Meitei groups who continue to terrorise and destabilise the lives of the Kuki-Zo people.”
“The central forces have failed to maintain neutrality to ensure safety and protection of the Kuki-Zo communities,” Khawbung added. “The attempt was to disturb Christmas festival celebration and now the new year celebration.”
The Kuki-Zo Council, in a December 29 press release, warned that the incident “would be closely monitored by the Kuki-Zo community worldwide” and called for immediate interventions to “stop the cycle of violence and ensure the safety, dignity, and rights of the Kuki-Zo people.”
