From Torbung Bangla to Sadu Lampak: The silent agenda of land grabbing in Manipur

On June 15, 2025, the quiet fields of Sadu Lampak in Leitanpokpi located in Imphal East became a battleground. Kuki groups, some armed, descended from the hills, hurling stones and firing slingshots to stop Meitei farmers from tilling their ancestral lands in Sadu Lampak. Despite the presence of security forces, the farmers felt utterly abandoned. The violence wasn’t new—since 2023, Meitei farmers have faced relentless attacks, particularly in areas like Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou in Bishnupur, where Kuki militants have killed at least eight farmers, including Oinam Bamonjao Singh (61), Oinam Manitomba Singh (32), Thiyam Somendro Singh (55), and Ningthoujam Nabadwip Singh (40). These are not just names—they are fathers, sons, and neighbors whose lives were stolen.


Around 3:20 PM on May 3, a group of protesters and armed individuals, mostly dressed in black, initially attempted to storm Waikhurok village in Kumbi Constituency, home to 33 Meitei villages. However, they shifted their plan, deciding to target Torbung Bangla first due to its larger Meitei population. Many protesters did not speak the local tribal dialect. The Kuki militants were overheard discussing that Waikhurok, being a smaller village, could be attacked later, prioritizing Torbung for its larger Meitei community. They then moved toward Torbung Bangla along Tiddim Road. Upon spotting the Kuki militants, Meitei residents of Waikhurok locked their homes and fled into the nearby paddy fields. The protesters and armed Kuki men began vandalizing and destroying Meitei properties in Torbung and surrounding villages. On that day, security forces stood as mute witnesses while Kuki groups attacked Meitei villages in Churachandpur district. The same script played out at Sadu Lampak, where forces failed to act, leaving farmers vulnerable. 


For over 150 years, Sadu Lampak’s fertile fields have been the heart of Meitei heritage, tilled by generations. In contrast, the neighboring Kuki village of Songphel, with just 20 houses, emerged only in the 1990s after Naga-Kuki clashes. Yet on that fateful Sunday, Meitei farmers were ambushed by Kuki groups, who pelted stones and demanded they abandon their lands or face “dire consequences.” This was no random clash—it echoed the calculated displacement of Torbung Bangla in 2023, where Meiteis were forced to flee. Over 30 Meitei homes in Leitanpokpi were also burned by Kuki militants that year. Now, villagers report that Kuki groups have occupied several fields in Sadu Lampak, with more land in their sights—a clear pattern of encroachment aimed at seizing Meitei territory.


The authorities’ inaction is chilling. Central paramilitary forces watched as stones rained down on farmers. Video footage allegedly showed Kuki militants in the hills, yet security forces waited until 3:30 PM to act, long after the attackers likely fled. Farmers’ pleas for protection, including requests for BSF escorts during farming, have been ignored. Similar stories echo across Manipur. In Thinungei, Bishnupur, security forces recently blocked farmers from their fields. In Naranseina, farmers were shot at while harvesting, forcing the state to deploy 1,847 security personnel across the valley districts—273 in Bishnupur, 846 in Imphal West, 389 in Imphal East, 147 in Thoubal, and 192 in Kakching. Comprising home guards, the State Disaster Response Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, and Manipur Rifles, these forces aim to shield farmers from Kuki militants firing from the hills. But for many, this protection remains out of reach.



A 2023 report by Loumee Shinmee Apunba Lup  paints a grim picture: 9,719 hectares of paddy fields lay barren due to inaccessibility, costing farmers ₹226.5 crore in lost income. Bishnupur bore the brunt, losing 5,288 hectares, followed by Imphal East with 1,770 hectares. The government’s ₹38.6 crore relief package in December 2023 was a drop in the bucket. Farmers need robust crop insurance to shield them from losses caused by violence, disasters, or sabotage. Sporadic escorted farming days, bogged down by bureaucracy, have done little to ease the pain. Once-self-reliant families now face food scarcity, soaring paddy prices, and hunger, while quiet markets ripple suffering to dependent communities.


Since May 3, 2023, Manipur’s hills and valleys have been divided not just by geography but by a fractured governance structure. Who truly holds authority over the hills—Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla? The answer reveals a troubling reality: a disjointed administration and inconsistent enforcement of law and order. Recent unrest—from an assault on a District Superintendent of Police in Kangpokpi to clashes in Churachandpur over a Zomi armed group’s flag—highlights the chaos in the hills. Culprits roam freely there, while valley lawbreakers face daily arrests. 


In 2023, former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, upon returning from Delhi, announced a division of responsibilities at Imphal airport. He would oversee the Meitei-dominated valley, while Amit Shah would manage the Kuki-Zo and tribal-inhabited hills. This informal split has led to glaring disparities. In the valley, security forces act swiftly, as seen in the June 7, 2025, arrest of Arambai Tenggol members. Yet in the hills, their response is often passive. During the Sadu Lampak attack, security forces stood by for three to four hours as Kuki militants reportedly escaped, awaiting orders that never came. This delay raises questions about Governor Bhalla’s authority to enforce order in the hills.
Appointed in January 2025 to stabilize Manipur under President’s Rule, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a former Union Home Secretary and close ally of Amit Shah, has struggled to assert control. His efforts to ensure free movement across Manipur, as directed by Shah on March 1, 2025, have met resistance from Kuki-Zo groups. While Ajay Bhalla’s appeal led to Arambai Tenggol surrendering weapons in February 2025, similar efforts in the hills have faltered, with Kuki groups dismissing them as biased. The passivity of security forces in incidents like Sadu Lampak suggests a chain of command that bypasses the Governor, possibly centralized in Delhi under Amit Shah’s office. This structure undermines Ajay Bhalla’s authority and fuels perceptions of bias, echoing security failures from two years ago.


Under President’s Rule, the government must act decisively, holding perpetrators accountable—whether individuals, villages, or local leaders—with severe punishments to deter further attacks. In August 2023, a Supreme Court bench led by CJI Chandrachud, now under CJI Khanna, formed a committee under Justice Gita Mittal to address humanitarian issues in Manipur, including land occupation by mobs. The state must decide whether criminal action suffices or if perpetrators should pay mesne profits, as per Section 2(12) of the Code of Civil Procedure, for wrongful occupation.


Manipur’s fields, now graveyards of dreams, hold the promise of renewal. The deployment of 1,847 personnel is a start, but safe access, financial recovery, and emotional healing are vital. President’s Rule must deliver tangible aid to farmers, the backbone of Manipur. Two years of suffering must end, restoring fields, dignity, and hope.
The hills operate under a shadowy rule, where neither the Governor nor the central government seems to hold sway. The failure to confront armed Kuki militants emboldens aggression and erodes the Meitei community’s trust in institutions meant to protect them. Is this inaction bureaucratic neglect or a deeper agenda to allow the systematic seizure of Meitei lands? Sadu Lampak is not an isolated tragedy but part of a disturbing pattern. The Meitei, rooted in their lands for centuries, are fighting to preserve their heritage against orchestrated attacks. The authorities’ silence demands answers. If state and central forces cannot protect the indigenous Meitei, who truly governs Manipur? The time for accountability is now—before more fields are lost and more lives are shattered.