GUWAHATI: Manipur’s Kuki-Zo community has strongly criticised Meitei BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh for an uninvited visit to the Litan Sareikhong Relief Camp in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district on Monday.
According to Lunkhojang Baite, in-charge of the relief camp, Singh arrived around 9:30 am when most inmates had left for work, leaving behind mainly children, women, and the elderly. Singh, accompanied by several BJP workers, reportedly stopped at the camp without prior notice and took photographs with the children before leaving.
Baite clarified that the Kuki Inpi Ukhrul, Kuki Students’ Organisation Ukhrul, village authority, and the Youth Club of Litan Sareikhong were neither informed nor involved in the visit. The camp described the MLA’s appearance as “abrupt” and “opportunistic,” aimed at gaining visibility amid the ongoing turmoil in the state.
The Kuki Inpi Ukhrul condemned the visit, stating that Singh’s sudden appearance with an excessive number of security personnel was a serious breach of protocol, propriety, and humanitarian sensitivity. “This action has caused deep distress among the Kuki internally displaced persons, who continue to live under trauma and uncertainty,” the organisation said.
It added that such visits, made without genuine concern or justice, amount to political posturing. “True goodwill cannot be proclaimed through intrusion or opportunistic gestures. Until justice is delivered, any outreach attempt remains fundamentally hollow,” the statement read.
The incident has further strained sensitivities in Manipur, where communities continue to navigate the challenges of displacement and conflict.