In the 18 months since May 3, 2023, when Manipur descended into violence, the situation has shown no signs of resolution. Social media platforms, particularly Twitter, have been extensively used by both the Kuki and Meitei communities to engage in hate speech and incite hostility against one another. Manipur leaders have failed to represent the broader interests of the state, instead aligning with their respective communities, further fuelling offline tensions.
The violence has persisted amid silence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ineffectual leadership from the BJP at both union and state levels. The government’s only response has been to impose AFSPA and deploy additional forces to the state, actions that have further escalated tensions. Thousands of innocent men, women, and children have been displaced and killed. In the absence of effective governance, communities have taken up arms, believing they are the only ones left to safeguard their people.
The ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed 226 lives from the Meitei and Kuki communities, including 20 women and 8 children, between May 3, 2023, and May 3, 2024, according to an Indian Express report.
From either community, no one has had the privilege of taking the situation to an international platform—except for the world-renowned child activist Licypriya Kangujam. At just 13 years old, she has garnered global attention for her activism and impactful speeches at universities and global summits.
But while Licypriya frequently highlights the plight of Meitei victims, her posts show no acknowledgement of the sufferings endured by the Kuki community. The child activist has 213.6k followers on Twitter, 78.5k followers on Instagram and 98.2k subscribers on YouTube. Her posts are seen by over 100,000 people.
Licypriya and her team have consistently positioned her as a representative of children in conflict worldwide, however, an analysis by EastMojo over the past year tells a different story. Reviewing her Twitter activity from November 2023 to November 2024, Facebook posts from November 2023 to June 2024, and YouTube content spanning two years, EastMojo found that in her mentions of the violence in Manipur, Licypriya repeatedly condemned the Kuki community, portraying them as “terrorists,” “illegal immigrants” and instigators of the conflict.
Regarding the term ‘terrorist’ being used to denote the Kuki population, an Editors Guild of India report from September 2, 2023, found that tensions between Manipur’s Meitei majority and Kuki-Chin-Zo minority had been escalating long before the May 3 violence. The state government had reportedly fueled this discord by labelling the Kuki-Zo community as “illegal immigrants” and “foreigners” without evidence, despite census data from 1901 to 2011 showing no unusual population growth among non-Naga tribals.
The report also stated that the military coup in Myanmar, which brought around 40,000 refugees to Mizoram and 4,000 to Manipur, was used to label all Kuki-Zo people as illegal immigrants. This narrative, framed as a strain on resources, also served as a political strategy, with Meitei leaders leveraging fears of outsiders to strengthen their position.
The report further mentioned that while illegal poppy cultivation involved Kuki-Zos, Nagas, and Meiteis alike, Biren Singh exclusively labeled the Kuki-Zos as “poppy cultivators” and “narco-terrorists,” indulging in a dangerous act of public posturing.
All of Licypriya’s posts on the ethnic clashes use these same terms to refer to the Kuki population. Not a single post suggests promoting peace between the two communities or addresses the plight of children caught in the conflict from the “other” community.
Despite presenting herself as a representative of children in conflict worldwide, her posts portray the Kuki community as instigators of violence, with her humanitarian efforts often carrying a narrative of Meitei victimhood.
On November 5, 2024: Licypriya tweeted about a young woman who lost her home, blaming the Kuki community:
“She is Sister Gitanjali. She passed Class 12 last year but couldn’t continue her study. Her house was burnt down ???????? last year by Kuki terrorists in the ongoing violence in Manipur. Today, I offer her 4 years full free scholarship to pursue B. Sc. Optometry at Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar, India ???????? to achieve her dream. God bless! ????????????.”
On November 1, 2024: She announced a fellowship for a young boy whose father was allegedly killed by Kuki militants:
“His poor father was brutally murdered in Manipur by Kuki terrorists while collecting firewood… Today, his son Ahanthem Tomba (7) will get Licypriya Fellowship for Free Education for armed conflict victim children till Class 12.”
While 59,000 individuals from both the Meitei and Kuki communities have been displaced due to the violence, Licypriya exclusively highlights the plight of displaced persons from the Meitei community. On July 18, she wrote about visiting Wangjing Relief Camp, which shelters victims of violence from Moreh allegedly evicted by Kukis:
“Today visited Wangjing Relief Camp accommodating the victims of Manipur Violence from Moreh evicted by Kukis. There are over 635 people staying on this building. I listened to their grievances. They appreciated the efforts of Thoubal DC but they love to be back to their homes soon. Govt still failed to address their demands to be back to their original homes by constructing new houses.”
On September 10, she recorded a lengthy video where she called on the Prime Minister to take action against the Kukis. In the video, she stated:
“Four days back, a young mother was killed in front of her minor daughter by drone strikes carried out by Kukis in Imphal, injuring many others. What action have you taken so far against them? And just the day before yesterday, a Hindu Bhagwan Sevak (Arangpham) was killed at Moirang near the former CM’s residence with a ballistic missile by the Kukis.
“Yesterday, an innocent old man was killed in Jiribam while sleeping, by Kuki terrorists coming from Myanmar who are fighting to form a new country called Kukiland by breaking India. But you react instantly when the Kukis are humiliated in Imphal. You even allow the opening of embassy-like offices for Kuki terrorist organizations in New Delhi, with their Kukiland Zomi flag, such as ITLF, Kuki Inn, COTU, KSO, etc., who are involved in recent drone and missile strikes in Imphal.”
Taking the past three months into context, while her posts about Manipur were frequent around September, they slowed down around October, but they have shot up again in November. The recent violence in Jiribam appears to have reignited her attacks on the other community. Fresh clashes erupted in the Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict on November 7 in Jiribam district, located 220 km from Imphal on the Assam-Manipur border. In less than two weeks, around 19 people lost their lives, including 10 Kuki men, whom the police have described as “militants.” A 31-year-old Hmar woman was reportedly raped and burnt alive and a family of six from the Meitei community—women and children, including an 8-month-old—was reportedly abducted by armed Hmar men in an act of revenge. Their bodies were later found floating on the Jiri river.
Addressing this issue within the context of the global climate crisis, Licypriya delivered a speech at Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College on November 20, where she linked the ongoing violence in Manipur to a climate war. In the video of her talk, she can be heard saying:
“I think you all must be knowing about the ongoing violence, which has been going on for almost a year, in my home state, my birthplace, Manipur. From my side, I am doing all I can to represent because, you see, the illegal immigrants, the narco-terrorists—the Kukis, the other community—are coming from other nations, like Myanmar. They are engaging in massive illegal deforestation in my birthplace of Manipur, and because of that, climate change is happening—it’s a climate crisis, causing flash floods.
“Even recently, in the news, a family of ten people died. They were first held hostage by the other community, the Kukis. I heard they were brutally raped, tortured, and killed, and two men were burned alive. This behavior is unacceptable at any cost. I am using my voice, my global platform, to highlight this issue to the world at the international level.
“What did the Indian government do? That is my question.”
Her statement was met with resounding applause.
At the G20 Summit 2024 in Brazil held from November 18-19, she characterised the ongoing Manipur crisis as a “climate war,” directly blaming the Kuki community for instigating violence and environmental destruction. In her speech, she stated:
“And also, what I would like to add is that a new climate war has started. You see, in my community, Manipur, we are facing communal violence between two tribal communities, the Meitei and the Kuki. I am very disappointed to share that in my birthplace, Manipur, an entire family of ten, including three minor children and two men, were kidnapped as hostages and killed by Kuki narco-terrorists in the climate war going on in Manipur.
“These people were held hostage, two men were burnt alive, and the minor children were found dead yesterday, floating in the river. The women were brutally tortured, murdered, and their heads were smashed. So, what I would like to say is justice for Meitei, justice for Manipur—no more deforestation. I urge all the G20 nations to make deforestation an international crime.”
While she spoke strongly against the abduction and death of the six women and children from the Meitei community in Jiribam she was silent on the news of the 31-year-old Hmar woman who was charred to death on November 7 also in Jiribam, amid allegations of rape and torture before her death.
There are also no posts to be seen on Licypriya’s Twitter or Instagram regarding the video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob of men which went viral on social media in July 2023 and ignited protests and uproar across the country.
Similarly, during an address on August 14, 2024, at MIT World Peace University in Pune, she linked the environmental degradation in Manipur to the actions of the Kuki community, painting a grim picture of the state’s current condition:
“I was born in Manipur, a small northeastern state of India, a carbon-negative state with lush green mountains and a rich biodiversity. But now, that rich biodiversity is gone—it has become a climate hotspot. Right now, you may or may not know, my state Manipur is on fire. It is burning. Many illegal immigrants—the other community, Kukis—are engaging in massive deforestation to plant poppy seeds and poppy plants.
Back in 2022, Licypriya went silent on social media for eight months when her father was arrested for fraud, assault and criminal breach of trust. A May 2021 story by EastMojo.com questioned the credibility of Licypriya Kangujam’s environmental activism, particularly the role of her father, Dr. KK Singh, in her rise to prominence.
According to the report, Karnajit, more commonly known as K.K. Singh kept a low public profile, even as his daughter gained widespread attention. It stated that activists pointed out that several awards Licypriya has received were reportedly from organisations associated with her father, raising concerns about the authenticity of her claims and suggesting that he might be using her as a front to further his own ambitions.
Licypriya’s Facebook account is currently restricted for alleged violations. On Tuesday, she posted on Twitter about her account being restricted within India, attributing this to her outspokenness about the recent killings in Jiribam. She wrote: “This is another attempt to silence my voice. But no amount of threats can silence my voice.“
Also Read | Amid tragedy, a new life: Husband killed, woman gives birth in relief camp
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Well-researched report. It’s about time the child is allowed to grow up away from this bitter conflict. Her parents should stop indoctrinating her, at least for the sake of her future. Whether people like it or not, it seems her parents are exploiting her name and position.