Nearly two years after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur, and with the state currently under President’s Rule, Meitei BJP MLA and former Rural Development Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday visited two Kuki villages in the hill districts ahead of Christmas in an effort to build confidence and mend strained relations.
Since the violence erupted in May 2023, claiming more than 260 lives, members of the Meitei and Kuki communities have avoided entering each other’s areas. Khemchand’s visit marks what is likely the first instance of a political leader from either side attempting to break the ice since the ethnic conflict began.
Khemchand Singh, a former Manipur Speaker, has become the first BJP Meitei MLA to visit a Kuki relief camp since the conflict began. The sportsman-turned-politician, who represents the Singjamei Assembly constituency in Imphal West, travelled to Kuki villages where he first stopped at the Sareikhong Baptist Church before visiting a relief camp at Litan in Ukhrul district. There, he interacted with Kuki residents who had fled their homes during the violence.
He later visited Chassad, another Kuki village in Kamjong, also a Naga-dominated district.
Over one lakh internally displaced people continue to stay in various relief camps across the state. He also interacted with Kuki villagers, enquired about the hardship and the issues they have faced over the past two and a half years, and emphasised that restoring peace should be the primary objective of all communities.
Khemchand visited the Kuki villages at a time when the government is trying to find a solution to the conflict through talks.
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“With the coming of Christmas, we all should pray for the return of peace in the state. Due to the ongoing conflict and restricted movement, our development has been hindered, and our younger generation is at risk. There should not be any hindrance in visiting each other’s villages,” Singh added.
He said, “We should not allow this conflict to affect the future of our children. We, the elders, may have differences, but we should think about our children who are the future of the state.”
The Valley and the Kuki-dominated hills have remained divided since the conflict began and people from both sides are avoiding visits to each other’s areas out of fear of fresh conflict.
