The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) said that the burning of six houses belonging to internally displaced persons (IDPs) near Leimakhong Army Camp during a Kuki protest was part of a larger “proxy war” being waged in Manipur since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023.
In a statement issued by its IPR Sub-Committee Convenor, Phijam Shyamchand, COCOMI accused the Central security forces of failing to prevent the attack despite their presence in the area. Citing media footage and eyewitness accounts, the organisation alleged that security personnel allowed the mob to advance, restrained Meitei residents from resisting, and failed to intervene even after the houses were set ablaze.
Calling the incident a serious security failure, COCOMI questioned how a mob could reach and torch houses located near the heavily guarded Leimakhong Army Camp. It demanded an independent inquiry to determine how the attack occurred, identify those responsible, examine the role of the Central forces, and fix accountability on any personnel found negligent.
The organisation said the arrest of a few individuals, as announced by the police, would not be sufficient, asserting that the incident warranted a comprehensive investigation into the planning and execution of the attack.
COCOMI also criticised the state government’s response, saying that condemnation statements alone were inadequate. Referring to remarks reportedly made by Sekmai MLA Heikham Dingo, it urged the government to investigate allegations that the houses were burned due to the Army’s inaction and take action against those responsible if negligence was established.
The organisation further alleged that repeated incidents of this nature had eroded public confidence in the neutrality of the Central forces and warned that treating the incident as a routine law-and-order issue would only deepen the crisis.
Linking the incident to the recent killing of six Naga civilians, COCOMI alleged that efforts were being made to create mistrust between the Naga and Meitei communities through what it described as a “proxy war” and “psychological warfare.” It urged indigenous communities to remain united against attempts to divide them and called on the Manipur Government to strengthen security around Leimakhong and ensure that such incidents do not recur.
