Cocking a snook at Tangkhul Naga Long's instruction...
Kuki-Zos seek to shut Meiteis out of Shirui Lily Fest
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 13 2025: The Kuki-Zo community has literally closed the road to Shirui Festival 2025 to the Meitei people.

Shirui Lily Festival is a State level festival and its fifth edition is going to be held from May 20 to 24, 2025 at Ukhrul.

The grand opening of the festival will be held at Shirui Village, the famed ShiRock will be held at Bakshi Ground, and the cultural cum closing ceremony will be held at Ukhrul Headquarters.

But there are a couple of Kuki villages on the road from Imphal to Ukhrul.

As such, any one going from Imphal to Ukhrul to attend the festival must pass through these Kuki villages.

Kuki-Zos seek to shut Meiteis out of Shirui Lily Fest

Given the flagrant hostile attitude shown by the Kuki-Zo community even for travelling on the road passing through their villages, Meiteis face great risk if they wish to attend the festival.

"----until justice is duly served and a durable solution, through the establishment of a Separate Administrative arrangement, is realised for our people, we must resolutely prohibit any individual from the Meitei community from entering or accessing our villages or territories, including for the purpose of attending the Siroi Lily Festival," said a press release issued by the Kuki Zo Village Volunteers-Eastem Zone (KZW-EZ) .

It categorically asked all members of the Meitei community to refrain from entering or crossing Kuki areas at any time.

"Any violation of this directive will be considered intentional, and individuals shall bear full responsibility for any consequences that may follow," it said.

The stand of the Kuki Zo Village Volunteers-Eastem Zone comes in the face of the Tangkhul Naga Long standing instruction to all in Ukhrul district not to disrupt the free movement of anyone on the Imphal-Ukhrul road.

The TNL had issued such instructions more than once after Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023 .

While preparations for the festival, including homestays, are in full swing, the Government has even announced special bus service between Imphal and Ukhrul to transport visitors to the festival and back.

NHIDCL and PWD are currently working on a warfooting to blacktop the highway leading to Ukhrul in view of the Shirui Lily Festival.

However, with the Kuki-Zo people threatening Meiteis from passing through their villages, it remains a big question how many Meiteis will take the risk of travelling to Ukhrul through the Kuki villages to attend the festival.

If the entire Meitei community stays away from the festival because of the threats from Kuki-Zo, it will be a serious setback to the festival.

Again, if Meitei people do go to Ukhrul through Kuki villages to attend the festival and if they come under attack, the festival will prove to be a tragedy, said some observers.

On May 8, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla chaired a meeting of the organising committee, 5th Shirui Lily Festival at the Raj Bhavan.

Apart from members of the organising committee, the meeting was attended by Chief Secretary PK Singh, DGP Rajiv Singh, Commissioners, Secretaries, the Governor's Secretary, Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police from Ukhrul and Kamjong.

The meeting deliberated on different aspects of the cultural cum tourism festival including security, budgetary planning and scheduling to crowd control, transport logistics and infrastructure.

Notably, the Meitei community is still denied access to the key NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway).

Directly challenging Union Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement to open all highways and roads to all sections of people from March 8, 2025 onward, the Kuki-Zo people thwarted the Government's initiative to open NH-2.A passenger bus sent by the Government with security escorts on NH-2 on March 8, 2025 was attacked by Kuki-Zo people at Kangpokpi.

Apart from blocking the bus, the violent protesters assaulted the security escorts resulting in injuries to as many as 27 security personnel.

Since then, the Government has made no more attempts to open the highway thus allowing the Kukis to keep the entire Meitei community under siege for over two years.