A prominent Kuki organisation on Monday condemned the visit of BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh to a relief camp in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, denouncing the move as a “calculated political exercise” and not an act of genuine concern.
Singh, a former assembly speaker from the Meitei community, travelled to the camp where Kuki families displaced by last year’s ethnic violence have been living. His appearance marked the first time a leader from either the Meitei or Kuki communities crossed into the other’s territory since the conflict erupted in May 2023.
Kuki Inpi Ukhrul, the apex body of the community in the Naga-dominated district, issued a sharp statement calling Singh’s presence “uninvited” and “unauthorised.”
“The Kuki Inpi Ukhrul expresses its unequivocal and vehement condemnation of the uninvited and unauthorised visit undertaken by MLA Y Khemchand to Litan Sareikhong relief camp,” the statement said.
It added that Singh’s arrival “accompanied by an excessive number of security personnel, constitutes a serious breach of protocol, propriety.” The group alleged the visit was “profoundly disrespectful” to a community “awaiting justice” and insisted the stopover was orchestrated for political optics rather than humanitarian concern.
L Baite, the in-charge of the camp, said the MLA arrived "unannounced and accompanied by several BJP workers".
He took advantage of the absence of "responsible inmates" and clicked photos with "unsuspecting children", Baite claimed.
During his visit to the camp, Singh had told the inmates, "With the arrival of Christmas, we all should pray for the return of peace to the state." "There are conflicts almost everywhere in the world. But we should learn to live in harmony despite the existing differences. There should not be any hindrance in visiting each other's villages," he added.
Over 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced in the ethnic clashes. The state has been under the President's Rule since February, after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as the chief minister amid criticisms over his government's handling of the crisis.
