Tension In Manipur Village After Meitei Farmer Alleges Kukis Stopped Him From Ploughing Paddy Field

NDTV

14 hours ago

Imphal/Guwahati:
A farmer from the Meitei community who went to plough a paddy field was stopped by some members of the Kuki tribes, leading to tension in a foothill village in the interdistrict border between Manipur's Imphal East and Kangpokpi.
The farmer told the security forces that he owned the land, and took his tractor to the paddy field on Sunday morning when a group of people from the Kuki tribes objected to ploughing it, claiming the land in Leitanpokpi village belonged to them.
"The land here belongs to Meitei farmers. Due to the conflict, we have been avoiding going to the paddy fields near the foothills," another villager told the security forces.
"We had chased away some squatters earlier, but our village elders requested to let them be due to the conflict. Now, they have now occupied that land because we have not been going there for a while," the villager said.
The police and the central forces stopped some people from both the communities from throwing stones at each other and using catapults, and took control of the situation.
The security forces requested the public not to believe in rumours.
The villagers said the matter will be easily solved by looking at the land ownership papers, or pattas. They also appealed for calm.
"Today in the morning at about 10 am a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi with a tractor went to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak village near a Kuki village. Some Kuki villagers nearby came and objected saying the paddy field does not belong to him," the police said in a statement.
"Meanwhile some Meitei nearby also came to the site. Some videos are circulating saying Kukis have come down to stop Meitei farmers. It is to inform that the security forces led by the Additional SP of Imphal East and other central forces are already there at the spot and controlling the situation. Additional forces led by SP and others are also responding to the situation. Public are requested not to believe in rumours," the police said.
Today in the morning at about 10 am a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi with a tractor went to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak village near a Kuki village. Some Kuki villagers nearby came and objected saying the paddy field does not belongs to him. Meanwhile some Meitei nearby...
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) June 15, 2025
Despite the police's warning, some social media handles continued to spread misinformation.
An X user by the handle 'Nampiromeokuki' alleged the state police took part in an attack by Meiteis on a Kuki village.
The civil society organisation The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) in a statement condemned what it called "repeated acts of violence and intimidation, targeting Meitei farmers Chin Kuki groups to provoke retaliation and reignite a cycle of violence."
"Chin-Kuki individuals obstructed Meitei farmers from cultivating their land, even in the presence of security forces. This highlights the brazenness of such illegal acts to assert control and intimidate rightful landowners and obstruct the fundamental right to cultivate and harvest crops, without fear of consequence," the MHS said.
Manipur, which is under the President's rule, has set up cyber crime cells attached to police stations in most district headquarters to swiftly track and deal with people whose online misinformation can lead to violence on the ground.
Land disputes in the state bordering Myanmar are also common amid the conflict. The foothills where Meitei and Kuki villagers share borders are especially sensitive.
The Kuki and the Naga tribes, too, have had tense moments in the last one year in Manipur's Konsakhul village over claiming land ownership.
When the violence was at its peak, Meitei farmers had alleged Kuki insurgents would open fire whenever they went to plough their fields in the foothills.
The Kuki tribes had alleged they were often Meitei insurgents disguised as farmers who were coming to attack Kuki villages.