Transgender social activist and cyclist Malem Thongam arrived at Sekmai Police Station in Imphal West district in the early hours of Thursday under heavy security arrangements, officials said.

Thongam reached the police station at around 4.30 am after travelling from Senapati district in a special convoy escorted by the Border Security Force (BSF). After completing official formalities along with five accompanying members, the activist later left for home, sources confirmed.

The guarded movement followed heightened tension after Kuki civil society groups objected to Thongam’s proposed plan to cycle through Kangpokpi district as part of a peace campaign titled “Cycling for Manipur Peace”.

Thongam began the long-distance cycling expedition from Qutub Minar in New Delhi on October 2 and has since covered over 2,300 kilometres across several states. The activist entered Manipur earlier this week and reached the Naga-majority Senapati district on December 17. The itinerary included passing through Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district on December 19 before concluding the journey in Imphal.

However, the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a Kuki-Zo civil organisation based in Kangpokpi, opposed the proposed route. In a statement, COTU warned that the cycling programme could generate tension under the pretext of promoting peace and demanded that the passage through Kangpokpi be halted immediately. The organisation also stated that any untoward incident during the proposed crossing would be the responsibility of the authorities and not the Kuki-Zo community.

In response, authorities stepped up security deployment along National Highway-2 in Kangpokpi district as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, police confirmed that an FIR has been registered in connection with indiscriminate firing allegedly carried out by armed Kuki groups at Torbung in Bishnupur district on Tuesday night. The Torbung–Kangvai belt remains one of the most sensitive areas in Manipur since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, having witnessed repeated incidents of gunfire, attacks on civilian areas, and seizures of illegal arms and explosives.

The region serves as a strategic buffer between valley and hill districts and continues to remain under heightened security surveillance.

Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February, following the resignation of former chief minister N Biren Singh amid sustained criticism over his handling of the prolonged crisis.