Cyclist crosses Kangpokpi under security amid warning from Kuki outfit

A transgender social activist cycling from Delhi to Manipur for peace safely crossed the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district under central forces’ security after a Kuki outfit issued a warning, highlighting the deep ethnic divide in violence-hit Manipur

Imphal: Transgender social activist Malem Thongam, who embarked on an over 2,300-km cycling expedition from New Delhi to Manipur to spread the message of peace, on Thursday safely crossed the Kangpokpi district in a security convoy amid a “warning” from a Kuki outfit.

Malem Thongam, who belongs to the Meitei community, embarked on her ‘Cycling for Manipur Peace’ expedition from the Qutub Minar in Delhi on October 2. They reached the Naga-dominated Senapati district on Wednesday after pedalling through various States and were scheduled to cycle through the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi on Friday before ending the expedition in Imphal.

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“However, I left the Senapati district headquarters on Thursday early morning, and now I have reached Sekmai in Imphal West district. I will be reaching Imphal on Friday,” Thongam said.

Sekmai town is about 22 km away from the state capital. The activist said they did not cycle through the district due to security issues and travelled in a special security convoy of central forces.

The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), an influential Kuki outfit, had urged the authorities to stop the expedition immediately. It said if any untoward incidents happen when the activist crosses Kangpokpi district, “COTU and Kuki Zo people of the district will not be responsible, but rather the authority concerned will bear the full responsibility”.

Over 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced in the ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 2023. Kukis and Meiteis do not venture into each other’s areas after the violence broke out, leaving the State deeply divided on ethnic lines.

BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who belongs to the Meitei community, visited a relief camp, where Kuki people who had been displaced by the violence were staying, in Ukhrul district on December 8. He became the first leader from either side to cross the divide and visit a camp of the other community.

Kuki outfits heavily criticised the overture, calling it a “calculated political exercise” rather than an act of genuine concern. The State has been under the President’s Rule since February, after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as the chief minister amid criticism of his government’s handling of the crisis.