More than 260 people were killed, and about 62,000 others were displaced by ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities, which erupted on May 3, 2023. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
An apex Kuki organisation has opposed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in conflict-scarred Manipur, alleging that it has excluded thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the community.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) said it expected the government to resolve the issue of some 59,000 Kuki-Zo IDPs, and help them return home to participate in the SIR exercise.
“Proceeding with such a critical electoral and administrative exercise without ensuring the participation of a large and vulnerable section of the population undermines the very principles of democratic representation. The exclusion, whether direct or indirect, of these IDPs from the SIR process renders the exercise incomplete and unacceptable in its present form,” the organisation said in a statement on Thursday (June 4, 2026).
The government and the district authorities should take immediate and concrete steps to establish accessible and inclusive mechanisms to let all affected IDPs be duly enrolled and participate in the revision process, the KIM said.
“Any continuation of the SIR without such provisions would not only be unjust but would also call into question the legitimacy and credibility of the entire exercise,” the organisation said, asserting that the SIR exercise under the prevailing circumstances was unacceptable.
The KIM said leaving any displaced person out would raise questions on the fairness and inclusivity of the SIR exercise, which was launched in Manipur along with two other northeastern States — Mizoram and Sikkim — a few days ago.
More than 260 people were killed, and about 62,000 others were displaced by ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities, which erupted on May 3, 2023.
Meanwhile, two other Kuki organisations opposed a march organised by the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) to meet the families of six Nagas allegedly held hostage by armed Kuki groups on May 13.
Members of the ANSAM launched the march from Ukhrul on Thursday (June 4). Their destination is the village of the six missing Nagas in Kangpokpi district.
The ANSAM said the march was planned to express solidarity with the families of the six abducted men, and press the authorities to expedite efforts for their safe return.
The Ukhrul district units of the Kuki Students’ Organisation and the Kuki Civil Society Organisations’ Working Committee opposed the ANSAM march, arguing that the route passes through Kuki areas experiencing heightened tensions and remains unsuitable for large-scale mobilisation.
Published – June 04, 2026 06:51 pm IST
