Manipur: COCOMI condemns attack on Liangmei village leaders in Konsakhul

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has issued a condemnation following reports of violence against traditional Liangmei village leaders in Konsakhul, Kangpokpi district.

According to COCOMI's press release, the Village Chief and Chairman of Konsakhul, an ancestral Liangmei (Naga) village, were physically assaulted in what they describe as an attack by "newly settled groups from the Chin-Kuki community."

"This brazen attack is not an isolated incident but part of an escalating pattern of aggression and land encroachment targeting indigenous people of Manipur in the hill areas," COCOMI stated in their press communication.

The organisation linked the incident to previous attacks, including a September 2023 assault on a former Liangmai village chairman and harassment of a Naga woman in January 2025.

"Such targeted assaults are not mere law-and-order issues, they represent a dangerous challenge to the territorial integrity of Manipur," the committee emphasised.

Laikhuram Jayenta, Convenor of COCOMI's IPR Sub-Committee, called for immediate government intervention, saying, "We stand firmly with the Liangmei community and all indigenous peoples of Manipur in their rightful struggle to protect their lands, their culture, and their future securities."

The committee has urged both state and central authorities to take "decisive action" to restore order in affected areas and protect the customary land rights of indigenous communities.