Manipur: 40 Kuki-Zo Women Injured in Alleged CRPF Assault
One Woman Has Reportedly Lost an Eye
January 1, 2025
Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other central armed forces in Manipur allegedly injured at least 40 Kuki-Zo girls and women who opposed their attempt to destroy a bunker in a Kuki-Zo area on Dec. 31, 2024, according to community’s representatives, who said some of the victims, aged 14 to 60, were seriously hurt, including one who lost an eye.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a prolonged conflict between the majority Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo tribes, which turned violent on May 3, 2023. According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zo group, the violence has led to nearly 223 deaths within their community, with around 41,000 individuals forced to flee their homes, and more than 7,000 Kuki-Zo homes razed.
The districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, among other Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas, have remained cut off from all Meitei areas within the state since the violence began. State and central authorities have created “buffer zones” between Meitei and Kuki-Zo regions. Security forces typically guard the buffer zones, among other security operations.
Since the violence began, the Kuki-Zo people have complained that Manipur police often accompany armed Meitei groups, including the Arambai Tenggol, to attack Kuki-Zo areas. This situation prompted the Kuki-Zo community to form a civil guard, which includes “village volunteers.” While most men in the guard are deployed near the buffer zones within their own areas, women remain at bunkers along the roads to monitor and check commuter movement.
On Dec. 31, 2024, personnel from the CRPF and other central forces (excluding the Indian Army) allegedly entered a buffer zone and travelled deeper into a Kuki-Zo area in the Saibul-Twichin region of Kangpokpi District, where they attempted to dismantle a bunker. The women guarding the bunker were reportedly beaten with batons during the ensuing scuffle with CRPF personnel and others.
The Women Wing of the ITLF stated that one of the women harmed on Dec. 31 received a “severe head injury,” calling the alleged assault a “brutal attack” that violated the dignity of the Kuki-Zo community. They said the assault was particularly unsettling because it occurred during the Christmas-New Year holiday season, a time viewed by the community as one of peace and reflection.
The girls and women say they lack trust in the CRPF after 10 young Kuki-Zo men, all village volunteers, died in a firing on Nov. 11, 2024. Most of the men were shot from behind or at close range, with autopsy reports showing additional injuries that cannot solely be attributed to gunfire.
A leaked audio recording, referred to as the “Manipur Tapes,” allegedly features Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh’s voice discussing violent tactics amid the ongoing ethnic conflict. The recording, brought to public attention by The Wire, claims that at least two Meitei groups, banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), were made to collaborate with security forces. It also suggests that the use of lethal ammunition during the initial phase of violence was supported.
In November, the Supreme Court agreed to examine the tapes.
A Kuki-Zo community leader based in Delhi informed Newsreel Asia that they planned to organise a protest in the national capital on Jan. 1, 2024, against the alleged assault on women. “This is a critical call for action against the Union government’s continued silence in the face of gross human rights violations. Despite the inhumane treatment of Kuki women, the central government has refused to intervene,” the leader said.
The ongoing violence in Manipur stems partly from a state High Court directive in April 2023 that asked the state government to consider granting special benefits to Meiteis, enabling them to purchase land in Kuki-Zo regions. A peaceful Kuki-Zo-led rally on May 3 to protest that court decision descended into violence that day, allegedly fuelled by disinformation.
