“The physical divide between the Meiteis in the Manipur valley and the Kuki-Zo in the hills is now undeniable and irreversible,” Kuki-Zo Council said in a statement.
BY PC Bureau
August 25, 2025 — The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has hailed the release of the Independent People’s Tribunal Report on the Manipur conflict by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), describing it as a landmark moment in documenting the ongoing ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023.
The tribunal, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph, was released on August 20, 2025, and has been termed by the council as “the most comprehensive documentation to date of the tragedy that continues to scar the people of Manipur even today.”
In its press statement, the KZC said it “deeply appreciates the effort and courage of PUCL in establishing such an independent tribunal to record the voices of the victims, survivors, and stakeholders of this conflict.” The council added that when narratives are often “distorted or silenced,” such third-party fact-finding initiatives “provide the nation with an unbiased understanding of the ground reality.”
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The council urged Indian citizens to reflect on the findings of the tribunal. “Only by doing so can the people of India grasp the true nature of the ethnic divide between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo, which lies at the heart of this prolonged tragedy,” the statement read. It further stressed, “This is not merely a local issue, but a matter of justice, equality, and constitutional rights within the world’s largest democracy.”
Highlighting the rift between the two communities, the KZC said, “The physical divide between the Meiteis in the valley and the Kuki-Zo in the hills is now undeniable and irreversible. The events since May 2023 have made coexistence under a single administrative framework not only impractical but impossible. Continuing to force both communities under one administration will only deepen hostility and prolong suffering.”
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The council called upon the Government of India to take decisive action. “The time has come to officially recognise this separation and grant the Kuki-Zo people a separate administration within the Indian Union. Only then can peace, dignity, and justice be restored for both communities, and only then can Manipur begin to heal,” the statement asserted.
The press release was issued by Ginza Vualzong, Secretary of Information & Publicity, Kuki-Zo Council.
