The Apex Paite Tribe has now expressed strong resentment over the Kuki hegemony by some Kuki bodies and the unconsented inclusion of ‘Paite Puandum’ in their official letterheads of both the Kuki Students’ Organization, KSO (Delhi & NCR), as well as the Working Kuki CSO Sadar Hills without their prior knowledge and information.
“Paite is one of the tribes that make up the Zomi Ethnic Group; hence, the need does not arise for Paites and Paite organizations to be represented at any of the Kuki organizations, whether it is the Kuki Inpi, the Kuki Students’ Organization, the Kuki Zo Council, or the Working Committee Kuki CSOs,” according to a statement from the Paite Tribe Council (PTC).
They asked the KSO (Delhi & NCR) and the Working Committee Kuki CSOs to remove the ‘Paite Puandum’ or any kinds of Paite representational signs and symbols, including Paite shawls, by Kuki-related bodies, according to a statement released from the Paite Tribe Council (PTC), GHQ Lamka.
Earlier, it may be mentioned that on March 18, 2025, clashes erupted in Churachandpur between Kuki and Zomi tribes over the removal of Zomi flags by Kuki groups from a tower in the Lamka area, which led to the heavy pelting of a 56-year-old, and later the district was shut down with a curfew.
The incident reminded them of the 1997–1998 conflict between the Kuki and ethnic Paite in Churachandpur district of Manipur, which was said to have stemmed from disagreements over tribal identity and territorial control. During the conflict, KNF mercilessly killed 10 Paite villagers of Saikul Village on June 24, 1997, which led to pitting one group that subscribed to the Kuki label against another group that subscribed to the Zomi label, the latter being led by the Paites. The conflict lasted for over a year, during which 352 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed, and over 13,000 people were displaced.
