The brutal killing of Lalgouthang Singsit and the continued excesses against the Kuki-Zo people expose the hypocrisy of Manipur administration. As the authorities, deny them a future, they demand the right to decide their own fate
.BY PC bureau
The Young Kuki organization has launched a blistering attack on Kuki-Zo leadership, accusing it of betrayal, cowardice, and failure to protect its own people. In a scathing statement, the group called out the Kuki-Zo Council, leaders of Kuki SoO groups, and elected representatives for their silence in the face of ongoing atrocities.
“Where were you when Lalgouthang Singsit lay bleeding on the streets of Keithelmanbi?” the statement demanded. “Where were you when our sons and daughters, armed with nothing but their cries for justice, were crushed under the iron boot of the Indian military? You speak of negotiations, but what have you gained? You have bargained away our future for empty promises. You have cowered while our people are slaughtered.”
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The group condemned Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration that the Kuki-Zo people would not receive Union Territory status, calling it the final proof of leadership’s failure. “No separate administration. No protection from the Meitei-led regime that butchers us. No justice for the horrors inflicted upon our people. You have negotiated for nothing. You have begged for nothing. You have achieved nothing.”
Condemnation of BJP Government, Call for Resistance
The Young Kuki extended its outrage to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, holding it directly responsible for the violent suppression of Kuki-Zo people in Manipur. The statement follows the killing of Lalgouthang Singsit in Kangpokpi, where Indian security forces allegedly opened fire on unarmed civilians, leaving twenty-five others critically injured.
The group dismissed the Indian government’s rhetoric of ‘peace’ as a blatant cover for state-sponsored violence. “What is this ‘peace’ that India enforces upon us?” the statement asked. “Is it the same peace that saw our mothers and sisters stripped naked, gang-raped, and murdered in Imphal? The same peace that let fascist Meiteis burn our villages, desecrate our churches, and massacre our people while security forces stood by—or worse, acted as accomplices?”
Declaring defiance, the Young Kuki vowed that the Kuki-Zo people would never surrender to a “fascist state” or its “proxies who dance on the corpses of our fallen brethren.” The statement warned that if the Indian government insists on enforcing ‘normalcy’ at gunpoint, it should prepare for resistance.
Demand for a Referendum
Rejecting further negotiations with Indian authorities, the Young Kuki called for a referendum to decide the Kuki-Zo people’s fate. “Declare a Referendum! Let our people choose their future. Let the world see that the Kuki-Zo will not be silenced, will not kneel before Meitei supremacists or their puppets in New Delhi.”
The statement ended with an urgent call for resistance and faith: “When oppression tightens its grip, when tyranny reigns unchecked, when justice is denied—what choice remains? The answer is clear: resist, fight, and place our cause before the Almighty.”
This demand for a referendum signals a major escalation in the Kuki-Zo struggle for self-determination, marking a turning point in the conflict.
