This is the second part of a three-part interview with Dr. Seilen Haokip, spokesperson for the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), who recently made headlines after being dropped from a panel discussion at the Delhi Literary Festival under alleged pressure from the Meitei lobby. In this exclusive interview, Dr. Haokip discusses the KNO’s demand for autonomy within India—not as secessionists, but as a people seeking self-governance to ensure their survival and dignity.
BY NAVIN UPADHYAY
“Call it a Union Territory or whatever you like… But we need safe shelter, a home, a life of our own.”
With a pensive gaze, Seilen Haokip, the public face of the Kuki-Zo armed wing and a representative of his ethnic group in negotiations with the Government of India, echoes the voice of his people. A PhD holder from Liverpool University, he does not fit the stereotype of a man who would wield bombs and guns. Yet, as the KNO’s spokesperson, he carries the weight of his people’s struggle.
Dr. Haokip’s doctoral research, completed in 2001, was titled “Identity, Conflict, and Nationalism: The Naga and Kuki Peoples of Northeast India and Northwest Burma.”
Speaking to Power Corridors, Haokip, who was abruptly removed from the Delhi Literary Festival panel at the last minute, is firm in his conviction: “There is no going back to the pre-May 3, 2023, situation.”
His voice turns solemn as he recalls the horrors that unfolded:
“What happened on May 3, 2023 to us was a nightmare—one that remains vivid for those who lost their loved ones, whose homes were burned, whose siblings and parents were butchered before their very eyes. Will any sensitive soul ask us to embrace that life again?”
He pauses, as if gathering himself against the weight of his memories. Then, his voice sharpens:
“The whole nation saw how our women were paraded naked on the streets, raped, and murdered while the police stood by. Can we return to a system that allowed a mother and her child to be burned alive in an ambulance on the way to a hospital? No. We cannot. We would rather die than accept the same administration that let this happen.”
Haokip recalled the personal cost of the clashes, revealing that his house was among those burned down by the Meitei mob. “That was the only house I possessed. Now, I live in a rented house. And I’m not alone—hundreds of others face the same torment,” he said.
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With a measured yet firm voice, he questioned the very foundation of trust in the existing governance structure:
“How could anyone expect us to trust the valley-based model of administration? Everyone knows who unleashed the mayhem, who looted the arms, who burned our homes. Has anyone been punished? And yet, you ask us to return to the same life, as if nothing happened. That can never happen.”
Despite his academic background and composed demeanor, emotion seeps into his every word.
“We are not separatists. We have been separated. We love our country. We have shed blood for India and will do so again with pride and honor. But India must acknowledge what happened to us in Manipur. We have been let down—by the government, by the police, by every institution meant to protect us.”
When asked if he would accept a peace deal if the Government of India promised safety and greater autonomy, his response is immediate:
“No. Never. We are not separatists; we have been separated. We cannot go back to Manipur. We have to move forward. If the Government of India has a better offer than Union Territory, we are willing to consider it—but never under Manipur’s administration.”
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“We Can Never Trust Them Again”
Haokip emphasizes that before May 3, 2023, the Kuki-Zo community would have been satisfied with greater administrative autonomy. But everything changed after the violence:
“We were cast aside. The doors of the valley were shut on us. If the government now asks us to return, we will forever live in fear. The forces that tried to wipe us out will always be watching, waiting for their chance to strike again. We can never trust them again. Never.”
According to Haokip, the demand for Union Territory status was conveyed to the Home Ministry as early as September 2023:
“We have had several rounds of discussion after that, but our stand remains unchanged. I understand that the matter is under the consideration of Home Minister Amit Shah. We hope he will take a sympathetic view based on the ground reality.”
“A Line Has Been Drawn—Not on Sand, But on Our Souls”
Haokip asserts that the May 3 violence created an irreparable divide between the valley and the hills:
“It is not a line drawn on water or sand. It is a wound on our very souls. Nothing can erase it.”
He speaks of decades of neglect and discrimination:
“After Manipur’s merger with India, the valley-dominated government controlled most development funds, leaving us with scraps. We were treated like beggars, receiving whatever they threw at us. No schools, no hospitals, no jobs. We have lived in a dark ghetto for too long. We want to step into the sunlight of peace and dignity. No—we cannot go back.”
Pointing out that Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand were created in the last two decades based on their distinct identities, hesays:“We expect the same. We want a separate existence under Article 239(A). What is wrong with that?”
A Plea for Dignity and Security
Seilen Haokip’s words carry the weight of a people who have endured unspeakable suffering yet refuse to be broken. His voice is not one of defiance but of a deep, unshakable conviction—a plea for dignity, security, and a future free from fear.
For the Kuki-Zo community, the wounds of May 3, 2023, are not just scars of the past but a dividing line that has reshaped their very existence. Their demand is not for secession but for a home where they are not second-class citizens, where their children can grow without the shadow of violence looming over them.
“We want to live in the sunshine of peace and dignity,” he repeats. And in that simple yet powerful statement lies the heart of their struggle—a longing not just for autonomy, but for the right to exist with dignity, in a land they can truly call their own.
