Mass rally against ‘proxy war’ lined up on Jan 31

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 13 : The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has lined up a mega public rally on January 31, 2026 against the proxy war being waged allegedly by the Government of India in association with Kuki narco-terrorists.
Speaking to media persons at their Lamphelpat office today, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said that the long history of peaceful co-existence shared by around 30 lakh people belonging to different communities have been severely jeopardised following the May 3, 2023 violence.  
Violence and aggression unleashed by Kuki militants under SoO agreement at Ireng Naga village at a time when different sections of the society have been working hard to restore normalcy is a matter of grave concern, he said.
A large number of outsiders from Myanmar intruded into Manipur illegally and not only set up villages but also set up narco-terrorist groups.
The Government of India entered into Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements with these narco-terrorist groups in 2005 and 2008 with an agenda and these groups were awarded financial grants and several other privileges, Athouba said.
With the passage of time, these narco-terrorist groups grew in strength and they have started posing serious challenges to the life, land and property of indigenous people. They are even poised to attack several indigenous villages, he said.
The incident that took place at Ireng village on January 12, 2026 where around 30 armed cadres of KNF(P), a SoO group, led by one Tiger Kipgen threatened the villagers reflected total lack of respect for indigenous people, he remarked.
With the Government of India giving a free hand to the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups, these groups have been terrorizing the indigenous people, Athouba said.
He said that the incident that took place at Ireng village on January 12 was a part of the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups’ sustained aggression.
This sustained aggression of Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists groups is a manifestation of the Government of India’s policy of proxy war, the seeds of which were sown in 2005 and 2008, the COCOMI convenor said.
Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists are most likely to continue terrorizing indigenous people to grab their land. There is an urgent need for every indigenous person to know the Government of India’s policies and activities being carried out in Manipur in cahoots with the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists, he said.
Saying that COCOMI has received a report from the villagers of Ireng village regarding the violence and explicit threats made by KNF(P) cadres, Athouba decried that Central paramilitary forces present at Ireng village did not say a single word when KNF(P) cadres openly threatened the villagers.
He also questioned the implications of the silence of Central paramilitary forces when Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists under SoO agreement openly threatened innocent villagers.
The appeal of Ireng villagers to the Central forces to take action against the armed Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists went unheeded. The Ireng incident of January 12, 2026 testified that the Central forces are here to protect and support Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists, he said.
The terms of SoO agreement which was extended on September 4, 2025 clearly lays down that all the weapons of the SoO signatories must be kept locked in nearby CRPF and BSF camps, and all the cadres must remain confined to their designated camps.
The latest extension of the SoO agreement said that the number of designated camps would be reduced to 14. It also said that all the terms of the agreement would be monitored by the Joint Monitoring Group. But all the terms of the agreement have turned out to be lies, Athouba said.
At the time of signing the SoO extension, the Government of India stated that the National Highways would be opened but the Government is not making any sincere attempt to open the National Highways, he said.
The SoO ground rules are a tool for the Government of India to deceive the indigenous people.
 It is a tool to patronize armed Kukis and wage a proxy war against the indigenous people, according to the COCOMI convenor.
Even though the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists have been repeatedly challenging the indigenous people, the Government of India has been acting as a mute spectator.
It’s time for all the indigenous people of Manipur  to come together and raise a collective voice against the Government of India’s policy of supporting Chin-Kuki narco- terrorists, he asserted.
It’s time for all the indigenous people to launch and sustain a strong mass movement till the Government of India takes up decisive action against Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists, he added.
Athouba said that the Government of India has not yet taken up a single meaningful step to bring peace in Manipur.
Nonetheless, many CSOs have been working to restore peace in Manipur and they have even opened roads for free movement of Kukis to and from Imphal Airport and also in Imphal, he said.
The CSOs have been working to enable treatment of Kuki people at the hospitals of Imphal and resettlement of displaced Kukis, Athouba said.
Amid all these efforts of restoring peace and normalcy, Kuki narco-terrorists have been setting off bombs and firing at innocent people.
He then asked, “How will we bring a solution when the Government of India is not taking action even after  Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists intruded into Naga village and threatened the villagers?”
“Even if we work at our best level, solution and peace will remain elusive as long as the Government of India continues to promote/incite violence and unrest”, Athouba said.
Together with all the indigenous people of Manipur, COCOMI will take out a mega mass rally on January 31, 2026 which would be followed by a public convention, the COCOMI convenor said.
He also appealed to all the indigenous communities to support and join the rally.
There is no bigger lie than the Government of India’s claim that it has been working to bring peace in Manipur while patronising and supporting a large number of narco-terrorists in the hill areas, he asserted.
CSOs, Meira Paibis, local clubs, transport services and students would wear black badges and put up black flags from January 31, 2026 in  protest against the proxy war being waged by the Government of India in association with narco-terrorists, he said.
There will be torch rallies at every locality, he added.
Athouba said that it will be hard to protect the indigenous people until and unless the Government of India stops its alleged proxy war.