The League of Indigenous People's Upliftment and the All Clubs Coordinating Committee of Ngaikhong Khullen condemned the assault on Mayengbam Somorjit Luwang during COCOMI’s April 25 rally, demanding accountability and thoroughly probing possible internal conspiracy.
IMPHAL — Two civil society organisations have come forward to condemn the assault on Mayengbam Somorjit Luwang, former President of the Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), who was attacked during the conclusion of the "Leingak ta Meeyam gi Wahang Khongchat" (People's Quest to the Government) rally organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on April 25, 2026. The assault drew immediate condemnation from both the League of Indigenous People's Upliftment (LIPUL) and the All Clubs Coordinating Committee (ACCC) of Ngaikhong Khullen, with both bodies demanding legal action and raising the spectre of a premeditated conspiracy against the ongoing public movement.
¦ THE INCIDENT: ASSAULT AT THE COCOMI RALLY
The attack on Somorjit Luwang occurred at the close of COCOMI's mass rally on April 25 — one of a series of major public mobilisations in the valley since the onset of the Manipur ethnic conflict in May 2023. Somorjit Luwang, a student leader with a record of public activism, is a figure of personal significance to the broader movement: his own elder brother was killed by Kuki-Zo militants, lending particular weight to his involvement in the cause. The circumstances of the assault and the identity of those responsible have not been officially established, but both organisations described it as targeted and premeditated.
¦ LIPUL: 'AN INTOLERABLE ACT' — SUSPECTS MUST COME FORWARD
League of Indigenous People's Upliftment (LIPUL) — Statement issued April 26, 2026 | Signatory: AB Elangbam, General Secretary
LIPUL opened its statement by expressing deep sorrow over the incidents at the close of the COCOMI rally, reaffirming its consistent support for COCOMI since May 3, 2023, and recognising the organisation's role in leading the ongoing struggle. The statement paid tribute to COCOMI volunteers who risked their lives to rescue Meetei civilians stranded in Churachandpur, Moreh, and other areas.
Turning to the assault, LIPUL said that raising a hand against a student leader who works tirelessly for the people was an intolerable act. It demanded that the government immediately identify all those involved and punish them according to law. The organisation characterised those responsible as individuals who had ignored the guidance of their elders and were acting on petty personal gains to engage in undesirable activities.
“Raising a hand against a student leader who works tirelessly for the people is an intolerable act.”
LIPUL also used its statement to frame the broader conflict, describing the attacking armed groups as a "proxy army" nurtured by India's failed policies, and warning that internal conflict at a moment of external pressure raises the suspicion of a hidden conspiracy. The organisation issued a direct warning: if Somorjit's assailants do not come forward and admit their mistake before the public, it said, the people themselves would deliver a reckoning.
¦ ACCC: 'SLAVE MENTALITY' — WAS THIS A PRE-PLANNED CONSPIRACY?
All Clubs Coordinating Committee (ACCC), Ngaikhong Khullen — Press note issued April 26, 2026 | Signatory: SM Takhellambam, General Coordinator
The All Clubs Coordinating Committee of Ngaikhong Khullen issued a strongly worded press note condemning the assault as a reflection of a "slave mentality" — a failure to distinguish between friend and foe — and said it was certainly not the conduct of those who genuinely love their motherland. The ACCC described the beating of someone like Somorjit Luwang, who has selflessly dedicated himself to the student community, as a pre-planned conspiracy by a select few.
“This act is a reflection of a 'slave mentality' that fails to distinguish between friend and foe; it is certainly not the conduct of those who truly love their motherland.”
The ACCC raised a pointed question at the heart of its statement: whether a handful of individuals were attempting to derail the current public movement and create internal divisions among the Meetei community. It called on relevant authorities to immediately apprehend those involved and ensure they face the full force of the law.
¦ SIGNIFICANCE: INTERNAL TENSIONS WITHIN THE VALLEY MOVEMENT
The assault on Somorjit Luwang and the sharp responses from LIPUL and ACCC reflect a growing anxiety within civil society about internal cohesion at a critical juncture in the Manipur conflict. The COCOMI rally on April 25 was intended as a show of unity and public pressure on the government — making the violence at its close particularly damaging in symbolic terms.
The language used by both organisations — references to conspiracy, internal sabotage, and individuals acting for petty personal gain — suggests a heightened suspicion that the violence was not spontaneous but deliberately orchestrated to fracture the movement from within. Whether those suspicions are borne out will depend on the investigation that both organisations have demanded from the authorities.
Both LIPUL and ACCC have called for swift legal action. The government has not yet issued a public response to the incident.
