CoTU Sit-in Protest Begins in Saikul, Warns Manipur Govt as Seven-Day Deadline Runs Out

Hundreds of Kuki-Zo people, predominantly women, staged a peaceful sit-in protest at Saikul Hill Town on Thursday, demanding decisive government action against armed groups accused of unleashing violence against civilians in the fringe areas of Kangpokpi district, as the seven-day deadline issued by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) over the Taphou killings nears its end.

Organised by the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of Saikul under the aegis of CoTU, the protest witnessed strong public participation, with community leaders deliberating on the prevailing security situation, recent developments and the government's response to the organisation's Charter of Demands.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the protest, CoTU spokesperson Ng. Lun Kipgen said the demonstration was organised in response to unabated atrocities against civilians allegedly perpetrated by armed Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM and ZUF-Kamson cadres in the fringe areas of Taphou, where two Kuki-Zo youths were abducted and killed, as well as a fresh attack on paddy cultivators at Kailenjang.

Kipgen said the protest followed deliberations at a CSO meeting convened by CoTU on Wednesday, reiterating that the safety of civilians and their livelihoods remained under serious threat.

While appreciating Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh's visit to the bereaved families of Taphou Kuki village and the subsequent press statement issued by the Police Department to address public insecurity and threats from armed Naga militants, he maintained that such gestures and assurances alone would not restore confidence among the affected population.

He asserted that the security of Kuki-Zo habitation and livelihoods in Taphou Kuki, Kailenjang and the IT Road areas would remain a nightmare until the alleged NSCN Huthrong Brigade camp at Oklong in Senapati district was removed and those involved in the killings of Paoginlal Hangshing and Tinginlun Chongloi were apprehended.

"We have repeatedly appealed for action against the NSCN-IM and ZUF-Kamson since the beginning of 2026," Kipgen said, alleging that the continued presence and activities of armed groups had posed a grave threat to civilian life and security.

Questioning the government's resolve to restore peace in the hill regions, the CoTU spokesperson demanded that the armed groups, which he described as secessionist militants, be uprooted and declared outlawed under Indian law.

With CoTU's seven-day grace period for the fulfilment of its Charter of Demands nearing expiry, Kipgen warned that any relaxation of the ongoing agitation and restoration of normalcy would depend entirely on concrete action by the government.

He made it clear that public patience was running out and that assurances without decisive intervention would do little to address the growing insecurity and resentment among the affected Kuki-Zo population.

Thursday's sit-in protest at Saikul marked the beginning of CoTU's district-wide phase of peaceful demonstrations, with similar protests scheduled to be held at Kangpokpi and Saparmaina on Friday, November 13, as the organisation steps up pressure on the Manipur government to act on its Charter of Demands before the expiry of the seven-day grace period.