Meitei and Kuki civil society organisations have raised conflicting versions on the matter of free movement on National Highway-2 in Manipur, days after the tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement was renewed with reworked terms.
After Kuki organisations said there is no free movement for Meiteis across "buffer zones" including in Kangpokpi which falls on the NH-2 route, Meitei organisations have said the fundamental right to free movement provided by the Constitution is being dictated by insurgents and private organisations, not enforced by the government.
Two umbrella organisations representing 24 Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and the state government on Thursday.
Announcing the development, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has decided to open NH-2 for free movement of commuters and essential goods. The Churachandpur-based KZC represents the civilian side, works closely with the Kuki insurgent groups, and is a participant in the talks with the MHA.
The KZC, however, clarified its appeal for free movement was specifically confined to the stretch of NH-2 passing through Kuki-dominant Kangpokpi district, and not "unrestricted access or free movement" between Meitei and Kuki settlements. It said the Imphal-Dimapur NH-2 has never been closed or blocked, and so the question of 'reopening' does not arise.
In a joint statement backing the KZC, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF) - the two umbrella bodies of 24 insurgent groups - also said the KZC's free movement appeal was specifically confined to the Kangpokpi stretch and aimed at encouraging cooperation with central security forces to ensure safe passage of essential goods.
A top Meitei civil society organisation and some Kuki and Zomi groups too have raised concern over what they alleged was lack of clarity on the announcement of free movement.
The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) in a statement said the MHA's claim is misleading as it has been contradicted by the official statement issued by Chin Kuki insurgents that signed the SoO agreement.
"In their joint press release dated September 5, 2025, the KNO and UPF clarified their stance on National Highway-2, stating that the KZC's appeal was for encouraging cooperation with central security forces to ensure the safe passage of essential goods, and not an endorsement of unrestricted movement across buffer zones between Meitei and Kuki-Zo areas," the MHS said on Saturday.
The MHS said another armed group that calls itself 'Kuki Village Volunteers Eastern Zone' released a video statement rejecting the SoO agreement and threatened against free movement on the highway.
Whether this was the same armed group that threatened members of the Meitei community against passing by Kuki villages on their way to the Shirui Lily Festival in May is not clear. However, the Manipur Police had then said they found no organisation called 'Kuki Zo Village Volunteer - Eastern Zone' (KZVV-EZ).
The Meitei civil society organisation said the MHA's announcement on free movement which has been contradicted by the same Kuki insurgents who signed the SoO agreement "is deeply concerning".
"It suggests that the authority to open or close National Highways in Manipur lies with a private organisation and not with the Indian State. The fundamental right to free movement provided by the Constitution will be dictated by insurgents and private organisations, not enforced by the Indian State. This is both embarrassing and unacceptable," the MHS said.
The MHS said the "misleading press release" may give a false understanding to the Meitei community that "it is safe to travel and risk being killed by Chin Kuki insurgents and armed groups."
It requested the MHA to clarify on the status of free movement in the interest of public safety, since Kuki insurgents have on record denied free movement for Meiteis.
The SoO agreement was first formally signed in 2008. Every year, a joint monitoring group reviews the agreement and decides its future. Broadly, the SoO agreement says the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.
The state government has been demanding to end the SoO agreement over allegations that SoO-linked insurgents have been taking part in the Manipur violence, as also insurgents from several banned Meitei armed groups that had nearly been eradicated from Manipur in the last 10 years, only to return from their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar after the breakout of Meitei-Kuki clashes in May 2023 and the civil war in that country.
The Manipur Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have on record stated the involvement of both Meitei and Kuki insurgents in the ethnic clashes. Many cases are under investigation. Three insurgents of the SoO-signatory Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) and another insurgent of the Meitei group United National Liberation Front (Pambei), or UNLF(P), were killed in a gunfight in Jiribam district in September 2024.
Former Manipur chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh told the state assembly on March 1, 2024 that the Assam Rifles and Kuki insurgent groups signed an agreement in 2005 - without informing the state government.
"The two signed the agreement without the knowledge of the Manipur government. The police continued to arrest the insurgents, and in 2008 the formal SoO with the state government's participation was signed," Ibobi Singh told the assembly.
The state government discovered the existence of the 2005 "ceasefire" agreement when, during police operations against Kuki insurgents, the state forces were often requested to stand down.
The valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 260 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.
