Kuki Inpi Ukhrul (KIU) has raised a strong objection to the uninvited and unauthorised visit of MLA Yumnam Khemchand at Litan Sareikhong Relief Camp on Monday. The KIU in their press release had asked MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh “Where were you when the Kukis were persecuted, displaced, and subjected to crimes of unimaginable cruelty?”
Department of Media, Kuki Inpi Ukhrul District in a press release stated that “the Kuki Inpi Ukhrul District (KIU) expresses its unequivocal and vehement condemnation of the uninvited and unauthorized visit undertaken by MLA Y. Khemchand to the Litan Sareikhong Relief Camps. His sudden appearance accompanied by an excessive number of security personnel- constitutes a serious breach of protocol, propriety, and humanitarian sensitivity. This action has caused deep distress among the Kuki Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who continue to live under trauma and uncertainty.
“The KIU wishes to state clearly and without ambiguity: such a visit is not merely unacceptable but profoundly disrespectful to a community still awaiting justice. True goodwill cannot be proclaimed through intrusion or political posturing, especially when justice is neither delivered nor sincerely pursued. Until that day arrives, any outreach attempt remains fundamentally hollow.
“To MLA Khemchand, the KIU poses a question that the Kuki people have carried in their hearts since the outbreak of violence: “Where were you when the Kukis were persecuted, displaced, and subjected to crimes of unimaginable cruelty?” During those critical days-when lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and entire villages were erased and the silence from your office was unmistakable. At no point did you stand up for justice or for the innocent. That silence cannot be erased by a sudden, unannounced visit.
“To the Kuki public, this visit is widely viewed as a calculated political exercise rather than an act of genuine concern. It appears designed to create the misleading impression that the situation has normalized and that Meitei political leaders can now freely access Kuki relief camps. Such manufactured optics serves political ambition, not truth. It is also apparent that the MLA may be attempting to elevate his image within his own community by presenting himself as a daring figure acting against prevailing tensions.
“The KIU further clarifies that the limited movement of Meitei individuals through Ukhrul is permitted out of respect for our Tangkhul brethren, whose consistent commitment to maintaining peace has long been admired. This gesture should not be misinterpreted as open permission for political figures to walk into Kuki areas without protocol.
“The KIU remains steadfast in its duty to safeguard the rights, safety, and dignity of the Kuki people and will actively ensure that all engagements adhere strictly to established procedures.
“Further, It is unfortunate that certain valley-based media houses merged two unrelated events the uninvited visit of MLA Khemchand and an independent journalist’s interview with an IDP inmate to falsely portray an interaction between the MLA and the inmates. Such misrepresentation is unethical, and we urge these outlets to stop these practices and uphold journalistic integrity.”
