Kuki-Zo organisations in Manipur remained steadfast in their demand for the withdrawal of central forces from the Saibol area in Kangpokpi district even as Manipur governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, held a “comprehensive review” of the security situation in the strife-hit state on Saturday, his first since assuming charge a day ago.

Bhalla’s review meeting came against the backdrop of the violence that erupted during a protest called by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) in Kangpokpi on Friday.

Protesters, according to the police, attacked the SP office with stones and petrol bombs on Friday evening, leaving Kangpokpi SP and at least 15 others injured, escalating tension in the Kuki-Zo majority district. The SP is fine, the police said.

Bhalla took stock of the “security apparatus and its arrangements throughout the state, with a particular focus on border areas” and directed the state DGP, Rajiv Singh, to “prioritise the safety and security of the people” and urged the army and paramilitary forces “to extend their fullest cooperation” to the state administration in maintaining law and order which remains fragile despite heavy deployment of central forces.

The CoTU protest on Friday was called amid the ongoing shutdown and economic blockade in Kangpokpi district seeking the withdrawal of central forces.

The situation remained tense even as officials tried to engage with the civil society organisations (CSOs) to resolve the issue, sources said.

The situation turned volatile after the protesters tried to seal the SP’s office after he reportedly could not fulfil his assurance to CoTU leaders of getting the Central forces withdrawn from Saibol. Security forces had to resort to firing blanks and using tear gas to disperse the mob.

The Meitei Heritage Society has condemned the “attack” on the offices of the SP and deputy commissioner in Kangpokpi “by armed Kuki militants and their accomplices”.

Following the developments, the CoTU extended its shutdown for another 24 hours, Sunday 2am, as the Kuki-Zo organisation saw the deployment of central forces in Saibol as “an act of oppression, one that disrupts peace and undermines the very fabric of the Kuki-Zo tribal existence” while seeking the “immediate withdrawal of the forces from the valley stationed at Saibol”.

A CoTU member said they were not against the deployment of central forces but were against deployment without consultation with their community leaders and CSOs.

The Kuki-Zos fear any central force deployed from the valley district will be “controlled” by the state home department which is under chief minister N. Biren Singh whom the Kuki-Zos hold “responsible” for the ongoing conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos.

The Saibol issue is a fall-out of “trust deficit” between the two communities triggered by the conflict that has left at least 260 dead and displaced over 60,000 since it erupted on May 3, 2023, the sources said.

Besides the shutdown in the Kangpokpi district and economic blockade in Kuki-Zo areas, sit-ins were held in several other areas.