Kuki body directs legislators to boycott Manipur Assembly session amid ongoing crisis
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body representing the Kuki community in the state, has directed all Kuki-Zo legislators to stay away from the upcoming Manipur Legislative Assembly session, set to begin September 2 and run through September 7 with three sittings scheduled.
In its statement, KIM instructed Kuki-Zo MLAs not to travel to Imphal, warning that any legislator who defies the directive risks being seen as acting against the community's collective political stance. The body reiterated its long-standing demand for a separate political administration for the Kuki-Zo people, asserting that normal legislative business should not resume while Manipur's political crisis remains unresolved.
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KIM argued that legislators' participation could wrongly signal that normalcy has returned to the state, potentially weakening the push for a political settlement. It called on the MLAs to act with "political responsibility" in line with community aspirations, and questioned why routine Assembly proceedings were continuing at all given the ongoing unrest.
While the directive reflects KIM's official position, it remains unclear how individual legislators will respond. The Kuki-Zo community holds nine seats in the 60-member Assembly, including Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and six other BJP MLAs — meaning their absence, if it materializes, could carry significant political weight.
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Fresh Violence in Kangpokpi
The boycott call comes day after a deadly attack in N. Teikhang village, Kangpokpi district, on August 31, in which three villagers — including two women — were killed and four others injured. Chief Minister N. Biren-successor Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the killings on social media, offering condolences to the bereaved families and vowing that the state would not tolerate such violence. He assured that those responsible would be arrested and prosecuted, and said an investigation was underway.
