Imphal:    The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on Wednesday has called for immediate legal action against those responsible for including the term “Chin State of Manipur” in the North Eastern Council’s (NEC) draft Vision Document 2047. COCOMI views this as a serious threat to Manipur’s indigenous identity and has warned that if the central government does not act, they will initiate widespread protests.

The controversial term was included in Chapter 3 of the draft document but was removed after objections from Manipur’s Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, to the Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). Despite this, COCOMI believes the issue reflects a deliberate attempt to undermine Manipur’s identity.

COCOMI Coordinator Somorendro Thokchom criticized the recurring nature of such issues, referring to a previous incident where the Bir Tikendrajit Airport in Imphal was incorrectly labeled on airline tickets as “Imphal Airport Lamka.” Thokchom argued that these incidents indicate a deliberate effort by certain groups, including illegal Kuki immigrants, to destabilize Manipur’s identity.

Thokchom also alleged that Kuki leaders have pressured indigenous communities to adopt Kuki surnames on Aadhaar cards, with threats of losing government benefits for non-compliance. He also highlighted the renaming of locations in Moreh from traditional names to Kuki names under central schemes.

COCOMI has made it clear that if neither the state nor central governments take legal action, they will organize protests with public support against the authorities.