Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh faced a wave of black-flag protests in Makhan on August 8. Hundreds of Naga and Meitei villagers lined National Highway-2 to block his planned visit to a local relief camp. The convoy bypassed the site and continued toward Kangpokpi for a scheduled meeting with Kuki civil society organizations.
Protesters directed their anger at the state's failure to address the abduction and killing of six Liangmai Naga civilians. Their bodies were discovered dismembered roughly three months ago. The Joint Tribe Council stated that the relief camp visit was an idea initiated by the Chief Minister himself, not by the local residents.
Timothy Wijunamai, president of the Liangmai Naga Council and co-convenor of the Joint Tribe Council, slammed the visit as an empty gesture. He demanded immediate results from the state. "It has been nearly three months since our six brothers were abducted and subsequently killed. We have placed our demand before the government to deliver justice, but there has been no response so far," Wijunamai said.
He warned that the Joint Tribe Council will sharpen its agitation if the government refuses to catch the culprits. The Chief Minister’s trip to Kangpokpi serves as a high-stakes attempt to start peace talks with Kuki groups. Meanwhile, the Makhan demonstration signals that local patience has hit a breaking point. The government now faces mounting pressure to deliver accountability in a volatile region.
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