Communities In Manipur Cutting Across Ethnic Lines Seek End To Attacks

Civil society organisations of communities cutting across ethnic lines in Manipur have asked the government to ensure attacks on civilians are stopped in the border state, where thousands of central security force personnel have been deployed, following the Meitei-Kuki clashes in May 2023.

The organisations that represent different communities raised the issue after two people were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near an abandoned house in Manipur's Bishnupur district. It was the second explosion yesterday. The first IED went off inside the empty house of a 70-year-old man from the Meitei community who lives in a relief camp.

In a rare instance, the two top civil society organisations of both the Meitei and Kuki communities in their statements didn't point fingers at any community by naming them. Both appealed to the authorities to investigate the attacks.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), and the Kuki tribes' civil group Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in measured statements stopped short of accusing each other's communities.

The Manipur Police in a statement said they will hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Small metal parts used in the IED have been found, and the NIA has the capability to look into such cases using advanced forensics techniques, sources told NDTV.

On 05.01.2026 in the morning, an IED exploded at Nganukon Ward No. 7/8 under Phougakchao Ikhai-PS, Bishnupur district inside a house which has remained unoccupied since 03.05.2023.

There was another IED explosion at the nearby area of Saiton Nganukon Ward no. 8, under...

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) January 5, 2026

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) gave the first statement condemning the bombing incident. The KZC, which is one of the entities in talks with the Centre over the Manipur crisis, in a measured response asked the authorities to conduct "a thorough and impartial investigation" and "to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice at the earliest".

The KZC didn't name any suspect, and referred to the attack as "carried out by unknown miscreants". The KZC asked the security forces, however, to further strengthen vigilance in and around "buffer zone" areas to ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Condemning the attacks, COCOMI alleged it is deeply alarming to see "not merely the recurrence of such attacks, but the persistent absence of preventive measures, timely response, credible investigation, or visible accountability by the deployed security forces and the state administration."

"The silence, inertia, and lack of transparency of the authorities have effectively emboldened perpetrators, reducing civilian lives to expendable collateral and eroding the very foundations of governance and the rule of law," it said.

COCOMI said the people of Manipur cannot be expected to live under constant fear while the State functions as a mute spectator. "Failure to protect civilians is not merely administrative negligence; it constitutes a breach of constitutional, legal, and moral responsibility."

Other Voices

The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS), a civil group of the community dominant in the valley areas, in a statement condemning the attack said it "was carried out even as central security forces were deployed in close proximity to the area."

"The incident raises grave concerns about the prevailing security environment and the audacity of armed groups operating with impunity. This latest attack comes within days of another disturbing incident in which Meitei internally displaced persons (IDPs), who began resettling a day before in their villages after years of displacement, were targeted," the MHS said.

It alleged the hand of armed groups hiding in the hills and their frontal groups that "oppose peaceful coexistence." The Manipur Police statement confirmed the attacks, but did not name any suspect.

The Thadou Community International (TCI) in a statement to the press alleged the attack was a "blatant manifestation of Kuki supremacist... derailing reconciliation and sowing division." TCI then asked the central government to act decisively with an iron hand under the President's Rule to neutralise this threat without delay.

TCI's statement marked the multi-ethnic nature of the condemnation of the IED attacks, though it accused the Kukis despite the KZC's statement that did not point fingers at any community.

"The Centre must not wait for a pushback from the people of Manipur... prompt, firm and impartial action is essential to restore confidence and prevent further escalation," TCI, which describes itself as a global network of the Thadou people, said in the statement.

TCI and activists like Michael Lamjathang Thadou assert that "Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki."

Manipur is under the President's Rule, which came into effect in February 2025. It was extended for six months after the first six months ended. Another extension, however, would need to meet certain constitutional conditions, one of which is the declaration of an emergency in the state.