PM Modi’s first visit to Manipur since ethnic strife sparks rival demands from Kukis and Meiteis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Manipur on September 13, making his first visit to the conflict-hit state since ethnic violence erupted more than two years ago. His presence has triggered a wave of contrasting appeals from the two communities at the heart of the unrest — the Kuki-Zo and the Meiteis.

For the Kuki-Zo, the visit is an opportunity to push their long-standing demand for separation from Manipur, with calls for a Union Territory status under Article 239A. For the Meiteis, however, the priority lies in safeguarding what they call the state’s “demographic balance” through a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-like exercise to identify undocumented immigrants.

Kuki-Zo renew separation call, welcome new pact

In a strongly worded statement, the Kuki-Zo Council said their demand for separation was “born of necessity — for peace, security and survival.” The group highlighted the human toll of the conflict: more than 250 lives lost, 360 churches destroyed, over 7,000 homes burnt, and 40,000 displaced people still languishing in relief camps.

The Council welcomed the Centre’s revised Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki militant groups, signed days before the Prime Minister’s arrival, calling it a “step towards permanent solution.” The agreement relocates militant camps away from Meitei-dominated areas while reaffirming Manipur’s territorial integrity.

In anticipation of Modi’s visit, the Kuki-Zo Council lifted the blockade of National Highway 2, urging people to participate in the Prime Minister’s events. Tribal organisations including the Zomi Council echoed the demand for separation, invoking Parliament’s powers to create new states and territories, as it did with Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Ladakh.

Meiteis reject ‘Balkanisation,’ demand NRC

In stark contrast, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a powerful Meitei civil society group, condemned the new SoO pact and warned against what it called the “ethnicization” of citizenship.

“This visit must not carry even the slightest trace of exclusion or ethnic favouritism,” COCOMI said, arguing that the Kuki-Zo demand for separation risks “Balkanisation” of the state. Instead, it urged Modi to commit to equality, security, and the resettlement of displaced families across Manipur.

Central to the Meitei agenda is the demand for an NRC-like exercise to detect “illegal immigrants and immigrant-origin populations” — a measure the group believes is vital to restoring Manipur’s “social and political balance.”

COCOMI also called on the Prime Minister to send a stern message against “proxy wars, narco-terrorism, and demographic aggression,” warning that without restoring constitutional rights and free movement across the state, peace would remain “hollow and incomplete.”

A state divided, a PM on the spot

As Modi begins his long-delayed visit, he faces a state still deeply divided — one side seeking separation for survival, the other demanding tighter borders for security. His challenge now is to find a path that addresses both without deepening the fault lines that have already scarred Manipur’s fragile peace.