Thousands of people took to the streets of Manipur’s capital Imphal on Saturday, rallying to assert that the state’s territorial and administrative integrity must not be divided under any circumstances, amid continuing ethnic tensions.
The “Save Manipur” rally was organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body representing several Meitei civil society organisations.
The mobilisation comes against the backdrop of demands by the Kuki community for a separate administrative mechanism following months of ethnic violence in the northeastern state.
Manipur has been gripped by clashes between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023, a conflict that has claimed at least 260 lives and rendered thousands homeless.
The prolonged unrest led to the imposition of President’s Rule in the state in February last year.
Participants at the rally said the demonstration was meant to send a clear message that any move to fragment Manipur’s territorial or administrative structure would be unacceptable, even as the state continues to grapple with deep social and political fault lines.
During Saturday’s rally, the agitators marched from Tiddim ground to Thau ground, covering a distance of 5 km.
They raised slogans and held placards that read "no compromise to Manipur's territorial and administrative integrity," "no attempts should be made to divide Manipur," and "resettle the IDPs to their home".
Demonstrators also included people from non-Manipuris, Muslims and Naga communities, along with Meiteis.
"We are participating in this rally to reiterate our stand that Manipur's territorial and administrative integrity must not be broken at any cost. We cannot compromise on this," said Bidyaluxmi Oinam.
Another demonstrator, Khagembam Surjit, said, “The land of Manipur was built by our forefathers, and not by illegal immigrants from Myanmar." Kukis share ethnic ties with the Chin community people of Myanmar.
Security has been tightened across the capital in view of the rally.