Extending the healing touch to Jiri Need to now focus on Ukhrul
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Extending the healing touch and Chief Minister Y Khemchand seems intent in providing the right atmosphere for Manipur to start taking her steps to normalcy. Going by road from Imphal to Jiribam fell in place with the script the CM is seeking to draw for going by road includes seeing first hand the state in which people live and in the process get a first hand account of the ground situation. Topping this off was obviously the all community meeting the Chief Minister had at New Alipur Naga village at Jiribam. Significant to note that this was perhaps the first time that members drawn from different communities including the Thadou, Paite, Hmar and Meitei attended the meeting with the Chief Minister and by any yardstick this was the first time that Manipur saw such a meeting since May of 2023. A good initiative, one may say and the positive response from the people drawn from different communities reflects the feel good vibes the meeting elicited from the public. This is what is expected from the Government, that is take the lead in dealing with the loss of confidence between communities. This was not the first time that Khemchand had visited Jiribam after being sworn in as the Chief Minister on February 4, and perhaps such visits will follow in other districts too. For the moment, one hopes the Chief Minister takes time to see and explore what may be done to break the deadlock at Ukhrul, particularly at Litan and the adjoining villages. Trouble started at Litan late in the evening of February 7 and what was previously a confrontation between two individuals quickly morphed as a clash between the Nagas, the Tangkhuls in this case, and the Kukis. Following the quick and positive response of Deputy Chief Minister L Dikho and the MLAs of Ukhrul district things came under control, but not for long for fresh trouble erupted on March 11 and the hostage taking of Tangkhul travellers and the murder of two Kuki men followed in quick succession. It did not end there for firing continued with Sinakeithei village, a Tangkhul settlement, singled out and targeted repeatedly. Firing and direct confron- tation between the Kukis and the Nagas may have ebbed for the time being but tension still runs high and no one from Ukhrul feels it safe to come to Imphal passing through Litan and the adjoining villages. It is the same on the Imphal to Ukhrul route and people have to take a much longer route, which takes at least 8 hours. This is where the focus of the Chief Minister must shift to and see what may be worked out.
Time is certainly not on the side of the Chief Minister and this should make it all that more important for him to reach out to all sections of the people. Jiribam has received his touch and judging from the response of the cross section of people there, the visit has been positive. The next should be Ukhrul. See what may be done, for here is a case of a district headquarters being cut off from Imphal and nothing can be more unacceptable than this. A tough task it may be, for remember even the ‘free movement from March 8’ call of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was snubbed with violence and human chains when the first attempt was made to pass Kangpokpi and reach Senapati by road. This was in 2025 and cut to the present and there is nothing much to suggest that things have improved. The free movement call of the Union Home Minister and in the discussions that followed, all that Delhi and Imphal received were responses like ‘The highway was never blocked. Anyone can travel, but we cannot guarantee the safety of anyone.’ How the new Chief Minister goes about addressing this vital point remains to be seen, but the Government should show that it is trying and doing something to open the highway to everyone. And the first step should be to ensure that the Imphal-Ukhrul road is opened to all. A check of the passenger list of the helicopter service between Imphal and Ukhrul should tell so many things.
Time is certainly not on the side of the Chief Minister and this should make it all that more important for him to reach out to all sections of the people. Jiribam has received his touch and judging from the response of the cross section of people there, the visit has been positive. The next should be Ukhrul. See what may be done, for here is a case of a district headquarters being cut off from Imphal and nothing can be more unacceptable than this. A tough task it may be, for remember even the ‘free movement from March 8’ call of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was snubbed with violence and human chains when the first attempt was made to pass Kangpokpi and reach Senapati by road. This was in 2025 and cut to the present and there is nothing much to suggest that things have improved. The free movement call of the Union Home Minister and in the discussions that followed, all that Delhi and Imphal received were responses like ‘The highway was never blocked. Anyone can travel, but we cannot guarantee the safety of anyone.’ How the new Chief Minister goes about addressing this vital point remains to be seen, but the Government should show that it is trying and doing something to open the highway to everyone. And the first step should be to ensure that the Imphal-Ukhrul road is opened to all. A check of the passenger list of the helicopter service between Imphal and Ukhrul should tell so many things.