Manipur: COCOMI Coordinator Thokchom Somorendro Highlights Disunity and Urgency in Crisis

IMPHAL: Thokchom Somorendro, the coordinator of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, has expressed serious reservations about increasing disunity and lack of a cohesive strategy for tackling the existing issues in Manipur.

About the recent events, he mourned: "There is no unity; there is only shortsightedness. There is no understanding of what is going on. We need a diverse strategy to address the issues.

Somorendro also brought to the attention of the government one pressing issue: Laishram Kamalbabu, a Meitei worker from Assam, went missing from Leimakhong Army camp. He was critical of the Assam Rifles and said that they never reacted on time when Kuki militants started firing from their areas.

The incident has sparked outrage, with COCOMI’s women’s wing coordinator, Leirikleima, warning of a significant women-led movement if Kamalbabu is not safely returned. “We used to trust the army, but that trust has now eroded,” she remarked, reflecting the growing frustration within the community.

Somorendro expressed deep concern over the lack of solidarity among the Meitei community, contrasting it with what he described as the unity displayed by the Kuki community. "For the Kukis, both their MLAs and organizations work together. We are not doing the same," he noted.

He criticized internal divisions, saying that in every constituency, people are divided into pro-MLA and anti-MLA factions. He argued that this division has replaced the sense of patriotism for Manipur with personal gains.

Somorendro justified the suspension of his sit-in protest at Ima Market amid allegations of recent criticisms. He told The Week that he organized the strike at first demanding action against perpetrators of the Jiribam killings but his strike got suspended when the State Government showed willingness to bring action against some of them while no definite action was visible from the Centre so far.

A viral video of Somorendro shouting at women in the market sparked criticism after the suspension of the strike. He responded to that by saying, "Some people pressured the strike to end to reopen the market for business. When we reached an agreement with the state government, some women came and objected to it, so I shouted because of that. But why make this go viral? Why focus on my behavior instead of the larger issue?

"The women participating had complained that the strike could not be called off without tangible action from the government side, which reflected a rising lack of trust in the administration.

In his closing speech, Somorendro appealed to the Meitei community to set aside personal interests and join forces. "At this moment, we are fragmented. We need to unite to fight for Manipur's problems," he said.

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