“This is India–Kuki border now”: Manipur MP slams internal divide in state

Member of Parliament from Manipur, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, on Tuesday, January 6 visited Saiton village in Bishnupur district, which was recently rocked by IED explosions that left two innocent civilians injured. 

The blasts reportedly occurred near an abandoned Meitei residence located close to the inter-district boundary, heightening concerns over civilian safety and administrative control in the conflict-hit region.

During the visit, the MP was stopped by Central security forces from proceeding beyond what has been declared an “illegal buffer zone” inside the village. Expressing deep concern over the situation, MP Akoijam said the restriction symbolised an unconstitutional and dangerous division within the State of Manipur.

Standing at the checkpoint, the MP remarked that the buffer zone effectively marked a new internal boundary. “This is where the border of India begins—India with Kuki. I cannot go to this side because this has become an India–Kuki border,” he stated, underscoring what he described as the fragmentation of the Indian state within its own territory.

Holding the Union leadership accountable, MP  Akoijam directly criticised the Centre’s handling of the crisis under President’s Rule, stating that even elected Members of Parliament are being prevented from accessing affected areas. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah must understand what is happening here. You are dividing my home state by enforcing an illegal buffer zone,” he asserted.

Calling the situation a constitutional travesty, the MP noted that such restrictions on parliamentarians are unprecedented in other riot-affected regions of the country.