Khwairamband Keithel witnessed a dramatic protest today as several hundred women from the Meitei and Naga communities rallied together, raising slogans of “We want justice” and demanding accountability for the six Naga civilians allegedly abducted and subsequently killed, as well as for indigenous people killed or missing since May 3, 2023.
The protest, organised jointly by the Coordination Committee of Khwairamband Keithel, Joint Tribe Council and Save Indigenous People of Manipur (SIPOM), sought a detailed discussion on the killings and disappearances during the ongoing Manipur Assembly session.
The protesters marched towards the Western Gate of Kangla but were stopped beneath the Bir Tikendrajit Flyover by a heavy deployment of Manipur Police and central security forces. The confrontation turned tense as the women attempted to move past the security cordon, with their repeated chants of “We want justice” growing louder.
The protest followed Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s statement in the Assembly regarding allegations surrounding the abduction and subsequent killing of six Naga civilians. The Chief Minister had stated that, according to the findings of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), allegations implicating the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district in the incident were baseless.
Reacting sharply to the statement, Amana Thaimei, Co-convenor of the Naga Humanitarian AID Committee Manipur (NHACM), accused the Chief Minister of misleading the indigenous people of the State.
Thaimei claimed that the wife of one of the slain Naga civilians, who was allegedly abducted along with her husband, had testified that she saw the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village and a police personnel while they were being detained and allegedly harassed. She said the testimony had also circulated widely on social media and questioned why such statements were being disregarded.
Questioning the government’s response to the continuing violence along the Imphal-Tamenglong Road and in Naga-inhabited areas, Thaimei alleged that security forces had failed to prevent attacks on indigenous civilians.
He demanded justice not only for the six slain Naga civilians but for all indigenous people killed or missing since the outbreak of violence in May 2023.
Thaimei warned of intensified agitation if the issue was not taken up seriously by legislators before the conclusion of the Assembly session. He also alleged that the government and security forces were protecting armed Kuki groups—an allegation that remains disputed—and called for accountability over attacks on civilians.
President of the Rongmei Naga Luh Phwam Manipur (RNLPM) and convenor of the Joint Tribe Women Association, Chingdinliu Panmei, also levelled allegations against the security forces, claiming that personnel deployed in the State were facilitating the movement of armed Kuki groups.
Panmei blamed both the Central and State governments for what she described as continued support to armed groups and cautioned elected representatives that public accountability would become increasingly important with elections approaching.
Meanwhile, Kshetrimayum Shanti, president of the Khwairamband Keithel Sinpham and Shaktam Kanba Lup, said the protest represented a joint demand by Naga and Meitei women for justice for missing and slain indigenous people.
She called for a detailed discussion in the Assembly on the violence that has continued since May 3, 2023, particularly as the current session is scheduled to conclude tomorrow.
Shanti criticised the government for repeatedly referring to the NIA investigation, saying that handing a case over to an investigating agency should not be used to avoid addressing the concerns of victims and their families.
“We strongly condemn the government’s attempt to divert the issue by saying that the case has been handed over to the NIA,” she said.
The protest ended with the demonstrators maintaining their demand for justice and accountability, while the heavy security deployment around Kangla underscored the heightened tension surrounding the issue.
