KOHUR Demands Highway Access for Kuki Survival

Lamka, July 3, 2025: The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has strongly condemned opposition by Meitei civil society groups to the construction of alternative highway routes — Lamka–Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal–Chandel–Lamka. In a press release issued today, KOHUR accused these groups of displaying deep-seated prejudice and double standards, endangering the fundamental rights and survival of Kuki communities in Manipur.

The organization highlighted that, since May 3, 2023, Kuki populations have been effectively cut off from the rest of the state due to ethnic violence and the unsafe condition of highways in Meitei-dominated areas. Vehicles carrying essential supplies, including medicines, have been attacked, and neither state nor central authorities have intervened effectively to restore safe passage.

Despite these challenges, KOHUR noted that the Kuki community has not retaliated violently, instead focusing on developing alternative routes to sustain access to food, medicine, and communication. The group criticized the central government's inaction and condemned the opposition to these self-funded and volunteer-built routes as "deeply discriminatory."

Calling for urgent action, KOHUR demanded that:

The Central Government stop appeasing majoritarian forces and protect minority rights;

Meitei civil societies cease their obstructionist stance;

Media and civil society speak out against the injustices faced by the Kuki people.

The statement concluded with a strong warning: "The Kuki people will not remain silent or gullible in the face of such blatant injustice."

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