Meitei, Kuki civil groups reject Manipur peace plans

Guwahati: Manipur’s fragile peace process is facing renewed strain as civil groups from both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities on Friday rejected key decisions reached a day earlier between the Centre, state administration and Kuki-Zo civil and militant groups.Friday’s sharp reactions centred on the proposed extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with two umbrella groups of Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) and the reopening of NH-2, a vital supply route connecting Imphal to Dimapur following discussions with Kuki Zo Council (KZC).On Friday, the Kuki volunteers group declared there would not be any free movement for Meitei civilians within Kuki-Zo territories, while the powerful Meitei umbrella body, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), condemned the SoO extension.COCOMI called it “deceptive and anti-people move” that legitimizes Chin-Kuki armed narco-terrorist groups.They said it undermined democratic mandates, citing the March 2023 state cabinet resolution and the February 2024 unanimous assembly vote to abrogate the SoO agreement.Under President’s Rule, COCOMI argued, the Manipur administration lacks the constitutional and moral authority to represent the people in tripartite talks and “this act represents a complete compromise of the basic principles of democracy.”

“The decision to extend the SoO under such circumstances is illegitimate and reflects an undemocratic and hegemonic imposition upon the indigenous people and its elected representatives of Manipur,” COCOMI said, rejecting the extension tripartite agreement signed on Thursday.On the reopening of NH2, COCOMI also said that turning citizens’ free movement into a bargaining chip with armed groups violates constitutional rights and leaves the Meitei population vulnerable, "an outcome deeply unacceptable to the people of Manipur.”Simultaneously, the Village Volunteers Coordinating Committee (VVCC), representing Kuki-Zo grassroots volunteers across eastern, southern, and western zones, declared the NH-2 reopening “null and void.”The VVCC rejected the consensus reached with KZC, stating that the decision was made without consulting the community and lacked legitimacy. The committee also announced a boycott of the KZC, warning that any further unilateral decisions would be met with resistance.“We reaffirm our stance: there will be no free movement for Meitei civilians within Kuki-Zo territories until a separate administrative arrangement is granted,” the VVCC said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speculated visit to Manipur on September 13 or 14 hangs in delicate balance over these recent developments. The visit, expected to be Modi’s first to Manipur since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023.Manipur's chief secretary Puneet Kumar Goel reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restoring normalcy, stating that “all signed agreements will be honoured.”But the responses from civil society of both communities were swift and scathing, placing the state at crossroads, where the path to peace appears increasingly tangled—not just by ethnic fault lines, but by the widening gap between statecraft and street sentiment.While the SoO extension, meant to stabilize insurgent activity, is now viewed as a political imposition, the NH-2 reopening, intended to restore mobility, has instead reignited territorial anxieties.