Why is KOHUR upset with AT-Bhalla peace move ?
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 28, 2025 -

THE arms surrendered by Arambai Tenggol (AT) members on Thursday in the presence of top police officials and meira paibi leaders might not be substantial but by heeding to the Governor's call to lay down illegally possessed weapons AT leaders have demonstrated that the socio-cultural organisation is ready to extend fullest cooperation to the establishment's efforts to restore peace in the strife-torn state.

While the decision to shun the path of violence might be in acknowledgement of the people's longing for ending the conflict sooner than later, it is likely that the AT leaders were given assurance by the Governor during their previous meeting to protect the Meetei villagers in the fringe areas, as it is obvious that the AT wouldn't surrender the arms and compromise safety of the villagers settling at the foothills across the valley districts.

Interestingly, the recent meeting between some AT leaders and the Governor seems to be bothering Kuki civil organisations as is evident from Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR) criticising Governor Bhalla for entertaining the AT and branding the latter as an armed extremist group responsible for mass violence, which is far from truth as AT volunteers only took up arms in defence after Kuki militants carried out multiple attacks on Meetei settlements in the first few days after outbreak of the conflict.

Taking into account that the AT members deposited the weapons, which most probably were looted from the government armouries, after meeting the Governor on February 25, there must a reason for the KOHUR questioning legitimacy of the parleys between AT and AK Bhalla.

In a statement, 'KOHUR strongly condemned Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhaila for holding a meeting with Korounganba Khuman and Robin Mangang, the leaders of Arambai Tenggol, an armed extremist group responsible for mass violence, ethnic persecution and destabilisation in Manipur'.

By asserting that the Kuki-Zo community will "not remain silent while those responsible for their persecution are treated as political stakeholders," KOHUR, like all other Kuki organisations, seems to be advocating the devil's cause, literally, and undermining interests of its own people, who, without an iota of doubt, have been enduring serious hardships for nearly two years.

By calling Arambai Tenggol extremist group, the rights body seems to be, as usual, playing the victim card rather than concede that the Kuki-Chin-Mizo community has a notorious record of involvement in armed and ethnic conflicts in Myanmar's Chin region with the military junta, Chittagong Hill Tract in Bangladesh also with its army, tension and clashes with Karbi and Dimasa communities in Assam, native Kokborok community in Tripura, genocide of Brus community forcing thousands to leave Mizoram and seek refugee camps in Tripura and not to forget the cycle of violence in Manipur with the Nagas in 1990s and Paites in Churachandpur district in early 2020s.

Thus, it is not surprising that KOHUR has the audacity to criticise the Governor, who is simply endeavouring to restore peace.

KOHUR also seems to be eager to prolong the conflict so as to demonstrate that Kuki and Meetei communities could never coexist in order to legitimise the demand for separate administration of the