First such gesture in 2 years: Meitei MLA meets Kuki relief camp in Manipur

Guwahati: Breaking a two-year deadlock created by the ethnic conflict in Manipur, BJP MLA and former Rural Development Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh reached out to Kuki communities in the hill districts on Monday, marking one of the rarest cross-community gestures since violence erupted in May 2023.

Khemchand, who represents Singjamei constituency in Imphal West and earlier served as the Speaker of the Manipur Assembly, became the first Meitei BJP legislator to step inside a Kuki relief camp since the crisis began. His visit comes during the ongoing President’s Rule and just weeks before Christmas.

The MLA began his outreach at the Sareikhong Baptist Church, later travelling to a relief centre at Litan in Ukhrul district, where he met Kuki families displaced during the violence. More than one lakh people continue to live in relief camps across the state.

During the interactions, Khemchand asked the displaced villagers about the challenges they have endured for more than two and a half years. He stressed that peace-building must remain the priority for all ethnic groups.

He reminded residents that while conflicts are not uncommon across the world, communities must not allow them to stall development or block future progress.

“With Christmas approaching, we should pray for peace to return,” he said. “Restricted movement has slowed our development, and the younger generation is suffering. We should be able to visit each other’s villages without fear.”

Khemchand added that elders may have disagreements, but they must “think about the children who represent the future of the state.”

A close aide clarified that the MLA made the visit in his personal capacity, not as part of a political initiative.

The outreach was welcomed by several leaders from the Tangkhul Naga community who accompanied him. Hopingson Shimray, BJP state vice president, called it a “remarkable gesture” at a time when communities hesitate to enter each other’s areas. He reiterated that Khemchand is the first Meitei BJP MLA to enter a Kuki relief camp since the crisis began.

Former ADC chairman Mark Luithing also praised the effort, saying Khemchand is the first leader to initiate people-to-people contact since the conflict broke out, claiming more than 250 lives and displacing thousands. He added that the MLA also visited Chassad Kuki village in Kamjong district, bordering Myanmar.