Manipur MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam on January 6 held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for what he described as a growing “internal divide” in the state. He alleged that the current security arrangement under President’s Rule was enabling an artificial and dangerous fragmentation of Manipur.
Questioning the situation on the ground, Akoijam asked how an elected Member of Parliament could be barred from entering an Indian village, calling it a serious constitutional and democratic anomaly.
Earlier in the day, the MP visited Saiton village in Bishnupur district, an area recently shaken by IED blasts that injured two civilians. The explosions reportedly took place near an abandoned Meitei house close to the inter-district boundary, raising fresh concerns over civilian safety in conflict-hit areas.
However, during the visit, central security forces stopped Akoijam at a checkpoint inside the village, citing an “illegal buffer zone” restriction. The MP was not allowed to move beyond the point, prompting sharp criticism from him.
Calling the restriction unprecedented, Akoijam said such curbs within Indian territory were unconstitutional. Standing at the checkpoint, he remarked that the buffer zone had effectively turned into an internal boundary. “This is where the border of India begins—India with Kuki. I cannot go beyond this because it has become an India–Kuki border,” he said, highlighting what he termed the breaking up of the Indian state from within.
The MP further noted that similar restrictions on parliamentarians have not been seen in other riot-affected parts of the country. Describing the situation in Manipur as exceptional and deeply alarming, he warned that continued enforcement of such buffer zones would only weaken public trust, undermine federal principles, and institutionalise division instead of restoring peace.