Kuki-Zo Leaders Address Ethnic Crisis with MHA in Delhi
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Synopsis
Leaders from the Kuki-Zo Council met MHA officials to discuss the demands and serious issues facing the Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur amidst ongoing ethnic violence and seek solutions.
Key Takeaways
- Discussion on demands of Kuki-Zo communities.
- Meeting held with MHA officials on January 17.
- Call for neutral security forces in Manipur.
- Request for separate administration for Kuki-Zo areas.
- Highlighting ongoing ethnic violence and its impact.
Imphal/New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) Leaders from the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), representing the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, convened a meeting with high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Friday, where they addressed their demands and the ongoing situation in the northeastern state, as reported by KZC sources.
The four-person delegation, led by Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet, engaged with MHA Adviser A. K. Mishra and Joint Director Rajesh Kamble.
While KZC leaders indicated they would share meeting specifics the following day, sources revealed that they communicated the alarming conditions in the tribal areas.
Additionally, the KZC informed the MHA officials about the partiality exhibited by certain security personnel and how the tribal population is being marginalized by the state government.
The KZC delegation also included Spokesperson Ginza Vualzong, Coordinator Ajang Khongsai, and Finance Secretary Richard Hmar.
This council, which is a coalition of 13 organizations representing the Kuki-Zo tribal community, alongside 10 tribal MLAs, has been advocating for an autonomous administration akin to a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal regions.
The significance of Friday's discussion with MHA officials is heightened by the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur and government efforts to address the ethnic strife in the region.
Last week, the KZC appealed to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to facilitate the deployment of neutral central security forces to manage the ethnic conflict and reiterated their demand for a Union Territory.
During Bhalla’s inaugural visit, tribal leaders met with him in Churachandpur district and submitted a memorandum requesting the preservation of the buffer zones separating hill and valley regions and a re-evaluation of district police jurisdictions.
The memorandum highlighted the lack of improvement in security conditions after over 18 months of violence and displacements, stating that citizens “continue to face daily threats to their lives.”
“One-and-a-half years after the violence began, homes and properties belonging to the Kuki-Zo community are still under threat, with nearly 7,000 homes destroyed, over 220 lives lost, and more than 360 places of worship demolished, leaving around 40,000 individuals homeless,” the memorandum detailed.
During his first visit after taking office on January 3, the Governor toured Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts on January 7, urging civil society organizations (CSOs) to collaborate with the administration for peace initiatives.
Governor Bhalla also visited several relief camps in the two districts, engaging with displaced individuals who have been residing in these camps since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023. As a result of the clashes between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities, at least 250 people have died, and over a thousand have sustained injuries since May 3, 2023. More than 60,000 individuals have been uprooted from their homes and are currently living in relief camps across various districts for nearly 20 months.
