‘Will not let your tears go in vain’: Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh holds outreach with displaced Kuki-Zo, Meitei communities

A Kuki-Zo woman from a relief camp in Churachandpur told the chief minister about the difficulties they face in getting medical treatment, while another Meitei resident of Moreh said that she had been staying in a relief camp for almost three years and wished to see her home once.

In response, Singh said that although he could not give an exact date, his government was trying to rebuild trust between the two warring communities so that the fear of entering each other’s areas would be removed. “I will not let your tears go in vain,” he assured.

To an inmate of a relief camp in Churachandpur, the chief minister said he understood the hardships people of the district faced to get medical treatment, as a majority of doctors in the state belong to the Meitei community and advanced medical facilities are located in Imphal.

“There will be absolutely no problem for you all to get medical treatment in the hospitals of Imphal. Few new ambulances have also arrived; we will make some arrangements,” he assured the Kuki-Zo inmates of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

Singh said that although some IDPs have returned, challenges remain as fear continues among sections of people. He stated that lasting peace will come only when communities reach a mutual understanding.

More than 200 people have been killed in Manipur ever since ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023.