Denounces One-Sided Media Narratives Undermining Manipur's Pluralism
- November 05, 2025 :: Meitei Alliance -

The Meitei Alliance strongly condemns the biased and selective media coverage that seeks to misrepresent Manipur, its civil society, and Meitei civilians as aggressors or criminals. In reality, the Meitei people remain committed to safeguarding and nurturing a pluralistic Manipur — a society that has coexisted harmoniously with multiple ethnic communities for centuries.

We unequivocally denounce the conduct of certain media outlets and organizations — including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Al Jazeera, The Wire, The Print, The Caravan, The Hindu, and the Editors Guild of India— for promoting a one-sided narrative that normalizes armed Kuki militants under the guise of “volunteers,” while unfairly demonizing the Meitei community in the ongoing ethnic conflict.

Since May 2023, Manipur has endured devastating violence, resulting in the loss of more than 250 lives and the displacement of tens of thousands. Instead of contributing to a deeper understanding of this crisis, certain media narratives have intensified divisions through selective reporting, inaccuracies, and strategic omissions.

These narratives frame the Meitei community as aggressors while ignoring Kuki militant activities linked to narco-terrorism, poppy cultivation, drug smuggling, and illegal immigration. Such predatory activism, masquerading as journalism, not only distorts reality but also undermines India’s sovereignty in the Northeast.

A recent Al Jazeera documentary is a glaring example of this bias. The reporter appeared to be well-acquainted with armed Kuki militants, armed with highly sophisticated weapons, yet failed to question their criminal and unconstitutional activities, including civilian killings and open defiance of Indian law. Instead, the documentary misleadingly attributes the violence to a Manipur High Court ruling on Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis, while omitting the initial vandalism and arson of Meitei villages in Torbung, which triggered the unrest.

Similarly, PUCL and aligned organizations have fuelled separatist agendas by deliberately ignoring documented evidence of Kuki-Zo involvement in more than 90% of drug-related arrests across Manipur, Assam, and Mizoram, as well as public confessions by Kuki leaders themselves. Their calls for “separate administration,” inspired by Nazi-era Lebensraum ideology, echo xenophobic worldviews that threaten the multicultural fabric of Manipur.

The Meitei Alliance calls for ethical and responsible journalism that informs rather than inflames, that builds unity rather than deepens division. We urge Indian citizens, civil society, and international media to recognize the dual threat facing Manipur today:

1. Xenophobic forces posing as “tribal victims” while engaging in militant and illegal activities.

2. Biased media ecosystems that undermine democratic integrity through disinformation and selective reporting.

The Meitei Alliance reaffirms its commitment to a pluralistic, multicultural, and democratic Manipur, and calls upon all stakeholders — journalists, civil society, and policymakers — to support peace, truth, and the preservation of constitutional integrity in this region of India that borders the infamous Golden Triangle of Myanmar.

Media Coordinator

Meitei Alliance,

founded in November 2023, is an alliance of Meitei diaspora associations in India (Association of Manipuri Diaspora– Pune;
Chennai Manipuri Forum; Delhi Meetei Co-ordinating Committee, Hyderabad Manipuri Society;
Manipuri Diaspora Association- Chandigarh; Manipuri Diaspora, Assam; Manipuri in Kolkata; Meitei Association – Mumbai;
Meitei Association in Sikkim; Meitei Heritage Society, Delhi; Manipuri Meitei Association Bengaluru;
Mumbai Manipuri Solidarity Group; Society for Meitei’s Chamber of Commerce, Assam;
Takhel Leima Tengbang Lup; Tripura Meitei Association), in Australia (Meitei Community in Australia)
and UK, Europe, Canada, USA, and Nicaragua.