Konsakhul attack aggression on indigenes: COCOMI
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 07 2025: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on Monday strongly condemned the recent assault on the village chief and chairman of Konsakhul, a Liangmei (Naga) village under Kangpokpi district.

COCOMI called the assault, reportedly carried out by newly settled groups from the Chin-Kuki community, as part of a larger pattern of aggression and illegal land encroachment targeting indigenous communities in Manipur's hill areas.

In a statement, COCOMI said that Konsakhul, an ancestral Liangmei village with a long-standing cultural and historical presence in the area, has become the latest flashpoint in what it alleged is a systematic attempt to displace indigenous populations through violence, coercion, and unlawful occupation of traditional lands.

The Committee termed the assault not just a violation of personal dignity but a direct attack on the inherent rights and identity of the Liangmei people.

COCOMI stated that the incident is not isolated but follows a string of similar attacks, including the September 5, 2023, assault on former chairman of a Liangmai village, Z Hotngambou by Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) cadres at Chalwa village, and the January 2025 harassment of a Naga woman at K Lungwiram village as she attempted to rebuild her home on ancestral land.

COCOMI also cited growing concerns over illegal checkpoints and road blockades allegedly imposed by militant-backed settler groups, severely affecting native villagers' freedom of movement and access to resources.

The Committee raised alarm over what it described as "expansionist activities by foreign-origin immigrant groups", many of whom are alleged to have settled over the years by crossing the porous Indo-Myanmar border.

These groups, according to COCOMI, have exploited tenancy and lease arrangements to justify aggressive land grabbing, including illegal plantations and violent intimidation.

Calling the recent attack a grave threat to Manipur's territorial integrity, COCOMI urged the state and Union governments to act immediately to restore law and order in Konsakhul and other affected areas, demanded the arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators involved in violence and encroachment and called on authorities to recognise and protect the customary land rights of indigenous people.

Reaffirming its support for the Liangmei and other native communities, COCOMI warned that the continued forceful seizure of indigenous lands could destabilise the state's socio-political fabric and endanger its future.

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