New Delhi: On July 4, Churachandpur witnessed a moment that would have seemed unimaginable over the past three years. Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh landed in the Kuki-Zo-majority district to attend the funeral of BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, becoming the first sitting chief minister to visit Churachandpur since ethnic violence erupted in the state on May 3, 2023.Khemchand travelled by helicopter after Kuki civil society groups opposed his visit and blocked key roads leading to Churachandpur. Many Kuki-Zo organisations are dissatisfied with the state government and demand a separate administrative arrangement for regions the community lives in.The occasion for the chief minister’s was the funeral of a legislator whose life and death came to symbolise the violence that has fractured Manipur.Valte died in February 2026, nearly three years after he was brutally assaulted by a mob in Imphal while he was returning from the Manipur Secretariat on May 4, 2023, the day after ethnic clashes first broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. He remained bedridden following the attack and never recovered from the severe head injuries he sustained.Also read: Peace Must Precede Political Solution in Manipur, Kuki-Zo Group Cites MHA As SayingNearly 300 people have been killed since May 3, 2023, in the conflict in Manipur.A former minister and three-time MLA, Valte was one of the ten Kuki-Zo legislators in the Manipur Assembly and had served as an adviser to former chief minister N. Biren Singh. During the nearly three years of conflict, Biren Singh did not visit Churachandpur, including after Valte’s death.Although Valte died in February, his funeral was postponed for more than four months after his family and community leaders decided to defer the last rites. The burial was initially delayed amid demands for a central probe into the 2023 mob attack on the BJP MLA and for the Union government to engage with the Kuki-Zo community’s demand for a separate administrative arrangement. The family eventually decided to proceed with the funeral after Valte’s wife’s health deteriorated.A visit by helicopter to a district cut off by conflictThe chief minister’s decision to travel by helicopter rather than by road is a reminder of how deeply Manipur remains divided. Since May 2023, movement between Imphal Valley and the hill districts has been severely restricted. Community-controlled areas, heavy security deployment and recurring tensions have effectively created internal boundaries, making road travel both politically and practically difficult.The journey is also a signal of the continuing mistrust between the two communities. The ethnic divide has become so entrenched that Meiteis cannot travel to Kuki-dominated hill areas, while Kukis cannot enter Imphal Valley.The visit was also significant because, despite several high-profile visits to Manipur since the violence began, no sitting chief minister had been to Churachandpur during the conflict.The chief minister’s visit was not welcomed by all. Several Kuki-Zo organisations called for a shutdown in Churachandpur, arguing that symbolic visits cannot substitute for a political solution to the conflict.Speaking to The Wire, Janghaolun Haokip, spokesperson for Kuki Inpi Manipur, said the blockade organised during the chief minister’s visit was intended to reaffirm the community’s political position rather than disrupt the funeral.“The blockade was there to reiterate our stance on an urgent political solution to the three-year-long oppression and persecution of our people,” he said. Janghaolun Haokip said the organisation appreciated the chief minister’s peace initiatives but maintained that the Kuki-Zo community’s core political demand remained unchanged.He added that any meaningful dialogue must recognise the community’s demand for a separate administrative arrangement.“We appreciate the peace initiatives undertaken by Hon’ble Y. Khemchand, the Chief Minister of Manipur and we acknowledge every sincere effort aimed at restoring normalcy. However, we remain steadfast in our demand for separate administration,” he said.Apart from the political demand, Janghaolun Haokip also highlighted immediate humanitarian concerns arising from the recent Kuki-Naga tensions in the state.Also read: In Centre’s Haste to Seal a Naga Accord, Peace Shouldn’t Be the First CasualtyHe alleged that Kuki villages continue to face aggression from the NSCN (IM) and said the prolonged economic blockade affecting Kangpokpi and parts of Ukhrul, Kamjong and Tamenglong districts has worsened conditions for residents.“The government must ensure the safety and security of our lands and our people and must also ensure the supply of food and basic necessities, including access to medical facilities,” he said.‘A humanitarian gesture, nothing more’The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), however, adopted a more nuanced position. Henlianthang Thanglet, chairman of the KZC, told The Wire that while the Chief Minister’s visit should not be interpreted as a sign of political reconciliation, attending the funeral of a colleague was appropriate on humanitarian grounds.“Even though the situation is not fine between the communities, on humanitarian grounds, the Hon’ble chief minister has come for the funeral,” Thanglet said, adding, “He was his colleague. It is a good gesture on his part to come for the burial and console the family.”Thanglet cautioned against reading too much into the symbolism of the visit. “That does not necessarily mean that the funeral has brought understanding,” he said.He said the Kuki-Zo Council continues to pursue a political resolution to the conflict and believes peace can only emerge through dialogue rather than violence.“Our demand remains. But this should be achieved politically, not through fighting,” he said.Thanglet confirmed that he neither met nor spoke with the chief minister during the visit and therefore he has received no assurances from the state government. Instead, he said the Kuki-Zo Council is seeking another meeting with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and expects to travel to New Delhi next week. The delegation also plans to address a press meet in the national capital.The demands being raised by the Kuki-Zo leadership today are the same demands that Valte continued to champion until his death.In December 2024, Valte, along with seven other Kuki-Zo MLAs, travelled to New Delhi, where they protested at Jantar Mantar and sought greater intervention from the Union government in the ongoing conflict. Confined to a wheelchair because of the injuries he suffered in the 2023 attack, Valte nevertheless joined the protest, urging the Union government to address the community’s long-standing political demands.