Lamka, July 3, 2025: The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has strongly condemned the opposition expressed by certain Meitei civil society groups against the construction of alternative highways - Lamka - Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal - Chandel - Lamka - routes that aim to ensure basic connectivity for the tribal Kuki population of Manipur.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, KOHUR labelled the opposition “deeply prejudiced” and “discriminatory,” asserting that it reflects “a blatant disregard for the survival and fundamental rights” of the Kuki tribal communities. The trust emphasized that the recent highway blockade and lack of access to national routes controlled by Meitei-majority areas have left Kukis physically, economically, and socially isolated from the rest of the state.
Since May 3, 2023, KOHUR stated, the state has witnessed one of the most violent ethnic episodes in recent Indian history - a campaign the organization calls “state-enabled ethnic cleansing.” In this context, KOHUR argues that the construction of alternative routes is a humanitarian necessity, not a political maneuver.
Despite these challenges, the Kuki community has refrained from retaliating or obstructing highways, demonstrating what KOHUR described as “humanitarian concern even in the face of grave provocation.” The alternative roads being developed, according to the release, are supported by public contributions and volunteer efforts, with little or no government assistance.
KOHUR further criticized the opposition to these routes, saying it reveals “systemic discrimination and negligence” faced by tribal communities in Manipur. The Trust also slammed what it termed “the double standards” of Meitei civil society, which allegedly destroyed existing Kuki access routes but now oppose the tribal community's self-created alternatives.
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Declaring that “no negotiation or political dialogue claiming to seek peace can be considered genuine” unless these highway projects are completed and operationalised as all-weather, double-lane roads, KOHUR laid out its key demands:
• The Central Government must cease appeasement of majoritarian pressures and ensure constitutional protections for vulnerable minorities.
• Meitei civil society groups must abandon their obstructionist stance.
• The Indian media and civil society must speak out against the discriminatory treatment of Kukis.
KOHUR concluded by affirming that the Kuki people will “resist tooth and nail” any arrangement that compromises their survival and basic rights.
