In an effort to resolve the prolonged violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, the Centre has deployed additional security forces and appointed a new governor. As part of this initiative, the Kuki-Zo Council will present its demand for a separate administration at a crucial meeting with the MHA. This comes after a series of steps, including the appointment of a new governor and daily raids to confiscate illegal weapons.
BY PC Bureau
The Centre has kicked off the new year with a determined effort to resolve the longstanding ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur, which has claimed nearly 250 lives. The Modi government has taken several crucial steps in this regard, including the appointment of a new governor, a new chief secretary, and the deployment of additional security forces. This is part of a broader strategy that also includes daily raids to confiscate illegal weapons and the destruction of poppy cultivation.
As part of this initiative, new Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has begun engaging with various sections of society, while Chief Minister Biren Singh has been urged to proactively address peace-related issues and ensure that the police and administration remain neutral in their actions. Additionally, the Home Ministry has arranged for a delegation of the Kuki-Zo Council to meet officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on January 17, 2025.
Kuki-Zo Council Leaders to Meet Union Home Ministry Officials in New Delhi on Jan 17#KukiZo #HomeMinistry #NewDelhi #northeastlivehttps://t.co/c3NUH7ZlKL
— Northeast Live (@NELiveTV) January 15, 2025
There are indications that the delegation will advocate for Union Territory status for the Hill areas, predominantly occupied by the Kuki-Zo community. The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF), two umbrella groups representing over 25 armed factions of the Kuki-Zo communities, have also raised a similar demand.
The KNO and UPF have been in a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government since 2008, with their leaders and cadres residing in designated camps across Kuki-dominated areas of the state. The Kuki-Zo Council is also pushing for the resumption of talks with the KNO and UPF as soon as possible.
This development follows a recent meeting between the Kuki-Zo Council and newly appointed Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Churachandpur, where the council reiterated its demand for administrative separation to restore peace. The council emphasized that after the physical division of the hills and the valley, the only remaining issue for peace is administrative separation. The Kuki-Zo Council presented a memorandum to Governor Bhalla on January 7, outlining these demands.
ALSO READ: Kuki Zo Council Urges Governor Bhalla for Union Territory Status https://powercorridors.in/kuki-zo-council-urges-governor-bhalla-for-union-territory-status/
In a previous attempt to address the situation, the Union government had convened a meeting in October 2024 with Kuki and Meitei MLAs in New Delhi. However, the Kuki-Zo MLAs refused to share the platform with their Meitei counterparts, emphasizing their demand for separation. On the other hand, Meitei organizations strongly oppose the demand for separation and are calling for the abrogation of the SoO agreement with the KNO and UPF, as well as the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify “illegal migrants” from the Kuki-Zo communities, whom they claim pose an identity threat.
Key Highlights:
• Over 250 people killed and 60,000 displaced since May 2023.
• Kuki-Zo groups demand a ‘separate administration’.
• Meitei groups seek the abrogation of SoO with Kuki rebel groups and the implementation of an NRC.
