Manipur: COCOMI volunteers force govt employees to vacate offices in Imphal

Volunteers of an Imphal valley-based civil society organisation on Wednesday forced government employees to leave their offices as part of a two-day shutdown of state and Central government offices, officials said.

Volunteers of the student wing of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) reportedly entered the secretariat and the directorate of transport office, located just a few metres from the Manipur Police headquarters and the chief minister's bungalow, and asked employees to leave everything behind, they added. They even attempted to lock the gates, but were prevented by security officers.

Volunteers also entered the forest head office at Sanjenthong and the sub-divisional officer building at the DC Complex in Porompat, Imphal East district, and forced employees to leave despite the deployment of a large number of security personnel. The protesters managed to lock some office doors within the office complex, officials said. A large number of security personnel, including CRPF, were deployed in government offices across all valley districts and Jiribam.

COCOMI is a joint body of Meitei civil society organisations which was formed in 2019 in the wake of peace talks between the Indian government and Naga rebel groups, as the latter sought autonomy and integration of the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur into a Greater Nagaland. COCOMI campaigns for maintaining the 'territorial integrity' of Manipur.

Coordinator Dhanakumar Meitei of COCOMI Students Front told reporters, "We started our campaign by shutting down state government offices. We hold government officials responsible for failing to restore peace and ending violence. We also urge government employees not to come to office."

On Tuesday, chief minister N. Biren Singh had appealed to COCOMI not to launch any agitation. COCOMI coordinator Thokchom Somorendro said the state government had failed to act on the NDA resolutions to conduct mass operations against Kuki militants within seven days and to remove AFSPA from areas where it was recently imposed. "As a result, the organisation decided to shut down all state and government offices for two days." he added.

Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday extended the suspension of mobile internet services for two more days in nine districts until 29 November, an order from the home department said.

"The state government, after reviewing the prevailing law and order situation, has decided to continue the suspension of mobile internet and mobile data services, including VSATs and VPN, in the territorial jurisdiction of Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Pherzawl, and Jiribam of Manipur for another two days, in public interest," the order said.

After violence escalated in the northeastern state on 16 November, the administration suspended internet services initially for two days to prevent anti-social elements from spreading content that might create law and order problems. It has been extended several times since then.

The state government had conditionally lifted the suspension on broadband services (ILL and FTTH) on Tuesday, considering the hardships faced by common people, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and other offices.

In a related development, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam said it will facilitate the return of around 1,000 Kuki-Zo people who took shelter in the Singhason hills since the outbreak of violence in Manipur in May last year.

Meetings will be held with different stakeholders on the issue to facilitate the return of the Kuki-Zos who have come here, KAAC chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang said.

"We are not going to forcefully evict them but will facilitate their return after discussions with various social and political organisations, including those from the Kuki community," he said.

Ronghang said land rights would be given only to people who have lived in the Karbi Anglong district since its establishment or have been longstanding permanent residents.

"Individuals migrating from outside the district, particularly those from Manipur, would not be granted land rights through our initiative of distributing land documents," he said on the sidelines of a land rights distribution programme in the Japrajan area of Bokajan on Tuesday.

A meeting has been convened on 28 November to discuss the matter and "we are hopeful of resolving the issue amicably", he added.

Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts are governed by the autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The two districts are home to the Karbis, which has the largest population among the hill tribes, Kukis, Hmars and Thadous.

The hills have witnessed widespread ethnic conflict between Karbis and Kukis in the past. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the conflict escalated into frequent clashes between militant groups claiming to represent the two communities — United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), resulting in the killing of over 100 people. Karbi militant outfits signed a peace agreement with the government in 2021, ending the violence.

The conflict between Karbis and Kukis has its roots in disputes over land, resources and political representations.

Over 250 people have been killed in ethnic clashes between Kuki-Zos and the Meitei community in Manipur since May 2023. Thousands of people have been displaced by the violence, which broke out over the Metei community's demand for tribal status and the tribal Kuki-Zo people's opposition to it.

With PTI inputs