Six tribal organizations of Kuki, including the Kuki Student Organization, have asked the MEITEI to cross the ‘cushioning zone’ for Cheirao Ching Kaba, an annual event to climb the Thangjing hill as part of the Celebration of Cheirraoba, the Meitei. Charil. Photo: Google Maps
A traditional annual event of the Meitei community that involves a walk to a hill in a district dominated by the Kuki people has fed a fresh tension in manipur of ethnic scars.
Six Kuki tribal organizations, including the Kuki Student Organization, on Wednesday (April 9, 2025) asked the non -tribal Meitei to cross the ‘cushioning zone’ for Cheirao Ching Kaba, an annual event to climb the Thanga, Thangja, Meutiu, Mey, which begins in mid -April.
The damping area is a narrow strip that separates the Imphalal Valley dominated by Meiti from the low hills, which are mainly inhabited by the Kuki-Shmar tribes.
“At least and until the government of India reaches a political agreement for the Kuki-Zmar community under the constitution of India, such a friendly approach to the jurisdiction of the land of Kuki-Zmar for the Meitei community would not be allowed.
They said that each community must set up the status quo and respect the damping zone to avoid the escalation of the ethnic conflict, which has been in control since the president’s government was imposed in Manipur in February.
The organizations said that any attempt to cross the damping area would be “opposite teeth and nails.” They urged the government to take measures to safeguard the interests of the two communities trapped in the conflict that exploded in May 2023, killing more than 250 people and displacing 60,000 others.
Thengjing or Hanging is a northern mountain range that is part of the western border of the Imphal Valley and the Churacandpur district.
The hill, wearing a sanctuary that Meiteis considers sacred and old, was news when a large cross was installed there in January 2024. According to the state government, the range of tangjing hills falls within the forests protected by Khoupum.
The curfew touch of Churacandpur, imposed after the violence caused by the assault on a leader of the HMAR community on March 16, relaxed for 11 hours on Thursday (April 10, 2025).
Dharun Kumar S. district magistrate said that the curfew, imposed under section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, relaxed in the area of the city of Churacandpur due to the improvement in the situation of law and order.
However, the curfew was not relaxed in an area that surrounds two villages, Rengkai and V. Munhoih, where the tension exploded on April 8 on the bear of the community flags in an area in dispute. The remaining touch was not up in the subdivisions of Kangvai, Samulamlan and Sangaikot of the district.
Published – April 10, 2025 11:03 PM IST