Kuki-Zo Council Slams Torbung IDP Resettlement, Warns of Conflict

Lamka, Dec 17, 2025: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has expressed grave concern over an incident reported on the night of December 16 in the Torbung buffer zone, calling the situation highly sensitive and warning that recent administrative actions could trigger renewed violence.

In a press release issued by Ginza Vualzong, Secretary, Information and Publicity, Kuki-Zo Council on Wednesday, the Council recalled that the ethnic violence which erupted on May 3, 2023, had its origin in Torbung, an area in Churachandpur district where Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities once coexisted. The area also witnessed the first killing of the conflict, when Pastor Sekhkhohao Kipgen was allegedly beaten to death in broad daylight. According to the KZC, 45 Kuki-Zo lives were lost within the first two days of the violence.

Against this background, the Council strongly criticised the decision of the Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur to flag off the resettlement of Meitei internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Torbung buffer zone. The KZC termed the move "deeply irresponsible and provocative," stating that a sensitive administration would have avoided resettlement in such a volatile area.

The Council warned that allowing Meitei IDPs to resettle in the buffer zone amounts to inviting renewed conflict. It also pointed to earlier attempts by Meitei IDPs to breach the buffer zone during the Sangai Festival as evidence of a pattern of provocation. The KZC demanded that the Deputy Commissioner take responsibility and immediately roll back the resettlement to prevent further escalation.

The press release also raised serious questions over the sequence of events leading up to the incident. The visit of COCOMI leaders to Meitei IDPs at Torbung Mamang Leikai, followed by a public meeting organised by Arambai Tenggol and firing later that night, was described as troubling and indicative of questionable intent.

Reiterating its stand, the Kuki-Zo Council stated that the Kuki-Zo people have consistently exercised restraint and respected buffer-zone arrangements to prevent further bloodshed. It rejected any attempt to blame the community for tensions arising from unilateral administrative decisions and violations of buffer-zone protocols.

The Council further alleged that provocative actions by Meitei groups during the Christmas season reflected a calculated effort to disrupt the peaceful spirit of the Kuki-Zo people.

Calling the Manipur crisis a political issue rather than a mere law-and-order problem, the KZC asserted that the conflict is rooted in ethnic cleansing and can only be resolved through a political solution. It urged the Government of India to recognise that the Kuki-Zo people have been effectively separated from Manipur and to grant them a separate administrative arrangement, which it said they rightfully deserve.

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