The sense of normalcy visible at Imphal city gradually gives way to a sense of distrust and a deep divide as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through Imphal West and into Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi.
On Monday, January 15, 2024 , second day of the 67-day-long Manipur-to-Mumbai yatra, Mr. Gandhi’s customised Volvo bus went past some of the areas that had become battlegrounds after ethnic violence between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes erupted on May 3 last year.
Deployment of security personnel outside some villages, a completely damaged house with a signboard that read “Meitei Go,” several signs boards that read “Welcome to Kuki land,” the signs of a deep social divide were very much visible.
