Meitei Organisation Urges Amit Shah’s Intervention as Pilgrimage to Thangjing Hill Blocked Amid Tensions in Manipur

Imphal, April 16: The Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation (MHWF) has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately intervene following the denial of access to Thangjing Hill, a sacred pilgrimage site for the Meitei community, located in the Kuki-Zo dominated Churachandpur district of Manipur.

The appeal comes after thousands of Kuki-Zo women staged sit-in protests across the region on Monday, demanding a ban on what they called “unauthorised entry” into areas they identify as their own. The protests coincided with the annual Meitei pilgrimage to Thangjing Hill during Cheiraoba, the Meitei New Year.

In a strongly worded memorandum to Shah, also submitted to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the MHWF said that pilgrims were met with intimidation and death threats. The foundation claimed that armed militants were stationed at the hilltop and submitted video footage and documentation as evidence.

“Such actions are comparable to Hindus being denied pilgrimage to Kailash Parbat or Muslims to Mecca,” the MHWF stated, asserting that the blockade is a direct violation of constitutional rights, including religious freedom and freedom of movement.

The group highlighted that this was not an isolated incident, citing a pattern of obstruction faced by Meitei Hindus attempting to access pilgrimage sites over the past two years due to highway blockades. The foundation said these threats are not merely a law-and-order issue but represent a strategic provocation aimed at destabilising the region.

The Union Home Ministry had issued a directive on March 1 mandating free movement across the state from March 8, with warnings of strict action against those creating obstructions. However, the MHWF accused authorities of failing to enforce this despite the imposition of President’s Rule and the deployment of over 100,000 security personnel in the violence-hit state.

Six Kuki-Zo groups issued a joint statement last week warning Meitei pilgrims not to climb Thangjing Hill, located between the Valley and hill district of Churachandpur. They asserted that no approach to “Kuki-Zo land” would be allowed until the government reaches a settlement with their community under the Constitution. Any crossing of the buffer zone, they said, would be treated as a provocation.

The conflict over Thangjing Hill is deeply rooted in competing historical and spiritual claims. The Meiteis regard it as the home of Ibudhou Thangjing, Manipur’s guardian deity, while Kuki-Zo groups insist the area lies within their ancestral territory.

The ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, which erupted in May 2023, has claimed over 260 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people. The Meiteis, primarily Hindu, dominate the Imphal Valley, while the Kukis, predominantly Christian, live in the surrounding hills. Fortified buffer zones continue to separate the two communities, with sporadic flare-ups despite the central government’s efforts to restore peace.

The MHWF has demanded immediate security arrangements to protect Meitei pilgrims and called for action against the militant groups obstructing access to Thangjing Hill. “The government must now decide whether it will uphold the Constitution and the rights of its citizens, or allow intimidation by armed groups to override the rule of law,” the organisation stated.