Editorial

Admission without a shred of guiltSaying sorry KZC istyle

It was not the admission per se that would have grabbed the attention of the listeners or observers but the manner in which it was said. On June 25 evening, a video clip of a news conference addressed by office bearers of the Kuki-Zo Council went viral on..

The yarn about return of peace Acknowledging the reality

The truth should not be lost or misunderstood. The absence of gunfire or the absence of direct confrontation or bloodshed cannot be equated to peace. The guns between the Kukis and the Meiteis have gone silent for some time now but can this be taken to me..

Forgotten dialogues convened at Delhi Relying on doctored reality

One wonders what has happened to the dialogue/meetings held at Delhi between civil society organisations representing the Meiteis and the Kukis. More importantly when was the last time such a meeting was held ? Sometime in late November of 2024 the Union..

Stand to contest coming Assembly polls The stake is Manipur

At least 7/8 months away but a number of youngsters and the not so young have already made their intention clear to contest the next Assembly elections. This is good and is an indication that there are quite a number of individuals out there who are more..

Noting ANSAM rally at Imphal The call of the indigenes

Nothing can be more important than justice for the slaughtered six Naga men and that is exactly what the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) did while staging a march in the heart of Imphal city on June 20. The rally did not march over a..

A three way conflict situation The Naga-Kuki factor

Imphal must have noted but the question greater importance at the moment is whether the reality has been faithfully conveyed to Delhi or not. If yes, then it should be obvious that any road to normalcy will also have to involve the Naga community, which h..

Time for Imphal to assert its position Still groping in the dark

It is more than obvious. Even after more than three years of the violence erupting in all its ugliness on May 3, 2023, Delhi is still  groping in the dark on how to deal with it. Law and order is a State subject but there is a reason why fingers need..

June of 2002 and the reality of today The stark difference

Bangkok Declaration of June 14, 2002. Manipur erupts in protest on June 18, 2002. A general strike was imposed from June 15 to June 17 and when the strike was lifted, Imphal erupted in violence on a scale never seen before. Back then the BJP was in power..

In a state of conflict for over 3 years Dragging in the Nagas

For over three years, 80 percent or more of the opinions expressed in this commentary column of The Sangai Express has been on the ongoing state of unrest here and not surprisingly so. Afterall which State in India has been caught in a state of conflict b..

Why not to Dimapur or Guwahati ? Noting people’s sentiments

A cursory look at the turn of events should be more than indicative. Not all are trained investigators or connected with anything to do with checking criminal activities, but pure common sense says that once news of the abduction of the Naga civilians at..

Looking back at the last 30 days Anything but peaceful

To get even a rough understanding of the situation in Manipur today, right now, on June 12, one just has to look back at the  last 30 days. On May 13, three Church leaders of the Thadou people were killed while on their way back to Kangpokpi from Chu..

Hands of Delhi since May 4, 2023 No answer yet for the people

No magic wand available. This is the truth and Delhi knows this. Another truth also stands-The truth that the approaches adopted by Delhi have so far failed to yield the needed result. First the Centre tried to deal with the situation with the line, ̵..

Taking the art of lying to a new high Found in bones and rotting flesh

They kill, they lie. And they have taken the art of lying to a new high. It was some time back, when the demand that the six abducted Naga men be released that the grand, old organisation of the Kuki people, christened the Kuki Inpi, Manipur issued a publ..

The politics of releasing hostages Looking beyond the obvious

The politics of ‘goodwill’. The 14 Kuki men kept hostage since May 13 have been freed and one can see ‘humanity’ written all over the very act of freeing them, people who had nothing to do with the abduction and subsequent ‘d..

Leaving border villages to their own fate Indifference continues

The common narrative that runs through is unmistakable. The mayhem took place on May 7, 2026. On May 9 a team led by Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam visited the affected border villages of Namlee, Wanglee and Z Choro in Kamjong district equipped with th..

Increasingly seen as being partisan Finger of accusation

The days since May 3, 2023 should have been more than enough to come to the point that no one from the Meitei community has been able to make an impact to influence the narrative, politically or otherwise, in the ongoing clash with the Kukis. Likewise no..

Waking up to yet another killings Is there a Govt in place ?

Manipur woke up to yet another chilling news on June 5, 2026 and information of the killing of yet another three people was received with the question, is there a Government in place or not ? No one knows who or which group carried out the attack, but the..

Missing since May 13, 2026 Show they are alive !

The question is, are the six abducted Naga men still alive or have they been done to death ? The significance of this poser should be seen against the fact that they were abducted on May 13 and since then it has been silence, other than the ‘lieR..

Coming together of the indigenes Need to strengthen it

A natural outcome or a development pushed by the emerging political reality of the day, but it is significant to note that a Native People’s Committee, Manipur has been formed in the face of the onslaught against the Meiteis and the Nagas. One commo..

Focus on the flip flop stand of the UNC Fate of the 6 Naga men ?

The focus right now, at the moment, is not whether the 14 Kuki people should be released or not but rather on the flip flop stand of the United Naga Council (UNC). It is also a question on the maturity and wisdom of UNC. In one sweeping statement, the UNC..

Fate of hostages : Flip of the coin ? On and off stand

To many, particularly to the family members concerned, June 1, 2026 will surely be remembered as the day of ‘up’ and ‘down’. The day began with talks doing the round that the 14 Kuki people kept hostage since June 13 would be relea..

Licensed to create mayhem ? Delhi, Imphal should answer this

Everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong. Just one day after a driver taking supplies of the Food Corporation of India was shot dead in a clinical ambush set up by Kuki militants (State police in a post on X said the attackers were Kuki milita..

Incursion from across the border 20,000 in 1967-1969

Back on May 23, 2002, a certain Mr Paolienlal Haokip wrote in a publication of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies that during the Burmanisation programme of Ne Win in 1967-1969, a number of refugees made their way into the North Eastern States of..

After crossing the three year mark Walking towards 2027

Year 2026 is nearly midway through and when one talks about the years, it is with a sense of deep disappointment coupled with anger that Manipur looks back at the days since the evening of May 3, 2023. In over 1095 days, the Prime Minister has visited Man..

Since 1999 : Seen, experienced it all Seeking to pitch Nagas against Meiteis

As a newspaper hitting the newsstand in the morning of September 12, 1999, after a number of then young men and women went to work on September 11, 1999, The Sangai Express has seen and experienced it all. Hence in a position to tell the story from 1999 t..

Making the bodies disappear ! Fate of the 6 missing Naga men

May 13, 2026 to May 25, 2026 and nearly two weeks since six Naga men have gone missing ever since they were allegedly handed over to Kuki militants at Leilon Vaiphei village and it is against this backdrop that the United Naga Council minced no words in p..

Sticking to a consistent narrative May 3, 2023 to date

It is marathonesque. At least 65 percent of the commentaries carried in this column for over three years, that is since May 5, 2023, has centred around the ongoing clash between the Meiteis and Kukis and since April this year, the focus has been on the Na..

In a mess for over 3 years now Narratives of hate and lies

The overriding sentiment is understandable. Given the situation in which Manipur finds itself in for over three years now, one can understand when hatred overtakes logical deduction, when the cry for blood and more blood mutes the voice of sanity, that is..

Posers over fate of abducted 6 Naga men The false narratives continue

It is now no more a question of rescuing the six abducted Naga men, but more of expecting the great Indian security forces to uncover the truth behind their disappearance. A case of six fully grown men disappearing after they were first accosted by Kuki c..

Triangular clash underway in Manipur A look back at ethnic clashes

It is a triangular clash. Kuki versus the Meitei since the evening of May 3, 2023. Kuki versus the Naga since April 2026. On the other side there is Imphal, Delhi and Central forces, particularly the Assam Rifles who are supposedly there to resolve the cr..

Pulling the strings to block the highways KIM : The willing partner

The writ of those pulling the strings or controlling the remote control certainly extends far and wide and in doing so the mischief they are up to must be obvious to all. On May 13 Manipur woke up to the disturbing news of three Church elders or leaders o..

Flexing muscle on the roads of Imphal Drill some sense into the netas

It does not make sense and this is an insult to the sensibilities of the people. A few days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the public to save energy as much as possible and advocated work from home, urged all to use public transport as muc..

Where is the Government poser No rule of law since 2023

The hostage drama is scary and at the moment the scariest part is the Government does not seem to know how many are  exactly being held hostage on either side. Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam, while interacting with family members of the man killed..

Normalcy still a far cry away Taking a turn for the worse

It is obvious. Normalcy is still a long way off, with violence taking a turn for the worse. Statistics, that is what the dead and those rendered homeless have been turned into and situation has come to such a pass that houses being burnt or villages being..

Agenda of opening a third front ? The place of occurrence

Ongoing Meitei-Kuki clash. Ongoing Naga-Kuki clash primarily in Ukhrul district. Broad daylight ambush and assassination of at least three Thadou Church leaders including former general secretary of Manipur Baptist Convention along the Churachandpur-Kangp..

Noting merits of border fencing Review the opposition

Border fencing stretching 27 kilometres on the Churachandpur sector set to commence with the State Cabinet having taken a decision to this effect. This much is clear and this falls in line with the decision taken by the Centre some time back to fence the..

Low enrolment in Govt schools What is expected from schools

For reasons which must be obvious to all, Government schools do not attract large number of students, except for some few  and that too those located in Imphal. However the report that nearly 55 percent of Government schools recorded extremely low en..

Released by KNA (B) : IGAR (S) ‘Foreign aggression not mentioned’

It is more than clear that no headway will be made in the ‘investigation’ into the case of arson and attack at three border villages in Kamjong district on May 7. A carefully crafted, precise onslaught it was, with the armed thugs ‘being..

The trail worked out by the NCB Manipur should take a look

It is a big catch, or at least this is what the Narcotics Control Bureau wants to convey in arresting what it calls a ‘major Myanmar based drug trafficker’. The key is the claim that in arresting the ‘major drug trafficker’, the NC..

Getting walloped from different sides Lessons in the last 3 years

Getting walloped from different sides and Manipur has been facing this situation since May 3, 2023. To be sure the people and the place will emerge out of the current crisis but the critical question is whether Manipur and her people have learnt any lesso..

Back as Chairman of Unified Command Road trip via Kangpokpi

Back as Chairman of the Unified Command and it is only right that Manipur expects Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand to study and see if he can take the travel by road, first to Jiribam and then to Senapati via Kangpokpi, exercise further. The first such vis..

Bid to turn the story on its head Puncturing the false narrative

If at all credit points or marks are to be awarded for spinning yarns to suit their narratives then it would go to organisations such as the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), Kuki Inpi..

Unruly elements on the roads Keeping the focus clear

Manipur, particularly the Meiteis cannot afford to lose focus. The anger and the sense of frustration against the abject failure of the security personnel to ensure the security of people, even while staying indoors and sleeping on their own beds in the d..

Giving a free hand to terrorists ? Emerging pattern

Apart from coming out hard against the Tronglaobi massacre of two minors and the grievous injury inflicted on the mother, what steps is the Government mulling to take up ? Chief Minister Y Khemchand responded swiftly and apart from condemning the dastardl..

The call for NRC first, census later Politics of population

The stand of the people is clear. Weed out the illegal immigrants before the census is conducted. In as much as the stand of the people is clear, it also stands that the Election Commission of India has already rolled out the process for the census, with..

Extending the healing touch to Jiri Need to now focus on Ukhrul

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 g..

Marching towards election year Address the basics of governance

The next Assembly elections will come in a jiffy, and while all talks around the next polls seem to centre on the question of whether the BJP will return or whether the Congress will emerge the biggest party, all political parties and their think tank see..

Refusing to see beyond one’s need More than lack of civic sense

Lack of civic sense. This is a one line statement that generally comes to mind when one sees the wastes, particularly plastic wastes strewn around at places that come within the understanding of public spaces. And this is where one should look at the R..

Time to show there is a Govt in place Imp-Ukhrul road cut off

This is not acceptable and time to show there is a Government in place. Since the evening of May 3, 2023, the highway connecting Imphal to Dimapur and onward to Guwahati has remained off limits to the Meiteis. Likewise no Kuki-Zo people would deem it safe..

The growing voice to defer census

It’s no longer a voice of a particular section of the society or a community. Of course, we are referring to the voice demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants from Manipur before going ahead with the government’s schedul..