Imphal: Authorities in Manipur have launched legal action against the president of the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Delhi chapter, following a viral video in which he issued threats against Meitei individuals planning to attend the upcoming Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul district.
The state police, in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed that an FIR had been lodged at Churachandpur police station against Paojakhup Guite.
The video, widely circulated on social media, purportedly shows Guite warning that Meiteis crossing the buffer zone into Ukhrul for the festival would not be allowed to return alive.
“As regards to one Paojakhup Guite, Prez KSO Delhi threats (in a video) to the Meiteis, to not allow to cross the buffer zone to attend the upcoming Shirui festival in Ukhrul, which is circulated in social media since yesterday, Churachandpur police has registered an FIR and all efforts, including raid, are being made in nearby districts for his immediate arrest,” Manipur Police stated.
Law enforcement agencies in neighboring states—Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya—have also been alerted to assist in his apprehension.
Security has been tightened in and around Ukhrul ahead of the Shirui Lily Festival, which will take place from May 20 to 24 in honor of the state’s official flower, found only in the Tangkhul Naga-dominated hill district.
Guite’s remarks, which included a call to prevent any Meitei attendees from leaving the festival alive, have sparked sharp condemnation. Ashang Kasar, president of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum Manipur and a noted Naga activist, questioned how such incendiary statements were allowed under President’s Rule. “Where is the governor? Where is the chief secretary? Where is the DGP?” Kasar asked, expressing frustration at the state’s lack of preventive action.
In response, local Kuki village chiefs along the Imphal-Ukhrul road have reassured Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL)—the apex tribal body in Ukhrul—that they will maintain peace and will not conduct checks or frisk passersby within TNL’s jurisdiction.
However, the situation remains tense. The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has condemned the FIR against Guite, calling it unjust and arbitrary. The Trust warned against what it described as the selective targeting of Kuki community members. “Such actions will be resisted, exposed, and met with appropriate legal consequences,” the group said in a statement.
On the other side, the Meitei Heritage Society issued a stern response, labeling Guite’s remarks as “shocking and inflammatory,” and accusing him of openly inciting violence against Meiteis. “This dangerous and hate-filled speech must be met with the strictest legal consequences,” the society said, adding that Guite was already facing a separate FIR filed by Delhi Police in March 2025.
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“The swift action by Manipur Police is welcome. It must send a clear message that inciting violence and undermining peace will not be tolerated,” the Society added.
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur, where violence between the valley-dwelling Meitei community and the hill-majority Kuki-Zo groups has claimed over 260 lives since May 2023 and displaced thousands.
President’s Rule was imposed in the state on February 13, 2025, following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Although the state assembly remains in suspended animation, governance continues under central administration.
