Observance in Kangpokpi reaffirm UT demand
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, May 03 2025: Thousands of Ku-ki-Zo people across Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi district, observed Separation Day on Saturday, marking two years since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023.Under the aegis of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), the community reaffirmed its declaration of an irreversible break from the Meetei community and reiterated its demand for a Union Territory.

The main observance was held at Brig M Thomas Ground in Kangpokpi DHQs, with parallel gatherings in Saikul town and Leimakhong, The day was marked by a complete shutdown across the district, with government offices, schools, banks, shops, and agricultural activities suspended.

While travel was exempted, the streets remained silent in mourning and defiance.

Calling the event a "day of severance", leaders of CoTU and other organisations described the 2023 violence as a "targeted pogrom" that left lasting scars - burning villages, displacement of thousands, and the loss of innocent lives.

"We cannot move on while our wounds remain raw," said CoTU vice chairman Amang Chongloi, who emphasised that Separation Day represents not only physical displacement but also the collapse of trust and the betrayal of coexistence.

At the emotionally charged gathering, village chiefs, civil society leaders, intellectuals, and the general public stood in remembrance.

Key figures such as Kuki Inpi Manipur president Ajang Khongsai, Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association leader Haokholen Kipgen, and social activist Dr Lamtinthang Haokip addressed the gathering, alongside representatives of the Kuki-Zo Council.

A condolence service led by reverend Dr Satkhokai Chongloi of the Kuki-Zo Christian Relief Committee and prayers by reverend Lunkhosat Kipgen of EBCCF honoured the victims of the violence.

Dr Satkhokai Chongloi declared that any possibility of reconciliation with the Meetei community had been extinguished by the brutality faced by the Kuki-Zo people.

"We affirm our identity, mourn our dead, and proclaim that coexistence is no longer possible," he said, referring to the events of May 3, 2023, as "an attempted annihilation of their community".

He cited the burning of villages, targeted killings, and sexual violence against women as deliberate acts aimed at erasing the Kuki-Zo from their homeland.

He made a direct appeal to the central government in New Delhi for a political solution.

"We cry for justice.

We demand a future where we can live in safety, dignity, and self-determination - a Union Territory with legislature, far from those who reduced our lives to smoke and ashes," he said.

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