In a landmark development for India’s eastern frontier, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth made history on Wednesday by becoming the first-ever Union Minister in decades to officially visit Kamjong District Headquarters, a remote and sensitive border district in Manipur.
Accompanied by his personal secretary and additional personal secretary, Minister Seth’s visit marked a significant moment for the border district, which shares a 120-kilometre international boundary with Myanmar. His arrival sparked both symbolic hope and strategic dialogue, as he engaged in a high-level meeting with District Level Officers (DLOs) from 26 departments at the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office in Kamjong, led by R. Peter, Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul. The visit was facilitated by the Kamjong District Administration.
With a sparse population of around 45,000 spread across 126 villages and 20 hamlets, Kamjong is often marooned by difficult terrain and underdeveloped infrastructure. The Minister’s presence, therefore, carried immense significance for residents who have long felt excluded from the national policy narrative.
Welcoming the Minister, 43-Phungyar MLA Leishiyo Keishing submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting the district’s key concerns. In an emotional note, the MLA remarked, “Your name shall always be recorded as the first Union Minister of India to set foot on an official tour in this land inhabited by the ‘children of the lesser God’.”
Among the primary issues raised was the proposed border fencing and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), a move that has sparked widespread anxiety among indigenous Naga communities living along the Indo-Myanmar border. Keishing criticized the implementation of the plan without community consultation, warning that it would sever ancestral ties and further alienate the region’s population.
“The unethical boundary drawn under the 1967 India-Myanmar agreement, originally a colonial imposition, has already divided our people. Enforcing fencing without a fair dialogue will only deepen this wound,” Keishing stated in the memorandum.
Another pressing concern was the lack of parallel road infrastructure on the Indian side, despite the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road within Myanmar. The MLA called for immediate investment in connectivity to improve mobility, service access, and border security.
Additionally, Keishing proposed the establishment of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) and a Model Border Town at K. Ashang Khullen Aze (KAKA) and Z. Choro near the Maklang river. With land already identified—200 acres secured and another 1,800 acres available—the district administration has submitted a Rs. 601.7 crore proposal to the central government.
Minister Seth’s visit is seen as a turning point for Kamjong. His engagement with local leadership and commitment to listening has sparked cautious optimism among residents. The Minister is set to stay the night at the Assam Rifles post in Kamjong and will meet with civil society organizations and other regional bodies on Thursday.
For a district long neglected by the corridors of power, Seth’s historic visit signals the possibility of long-awaited change. As MLA Keishing poignantly noted, “It is our earnest request to the Government of India to recognize our pain and take necessary steps to resolve these long-pending issues in the interest of justice, peace, and development.”
While the road ahead remains uncertain, the people of Kamjong—for perhaps the first time in living memory—feel seen, heard, and remembered.
