Kuki-Zo Leaders to Meet MHA Officials in Delhi on January 17 Regarding Manipur Crisis
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Synopsis
On January 17, leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council will meet with MHA officials in New Delhi to discuss the ethnic crisis in Manipur. The KZC is advocating for a separate administration akin to a Union Territory due to ongoing violence and displacement affecting the Kuki-Zo community.
Key Takeaways
- Meeting between Kuki-Zo Council leaders and MHA officials scheduled for January 17.
- KZC demands a separate administration equivalent to a Union Territory.
- Ethnic violence in Manipur continues to pose severe security challenges.
- KZC seeks deployment of neutral security forces to address the crisis.
- Over 7,000 homes destroyed and many lives lost due to ongoing violence.
New Delhi/Imphal, Jan 15 (NationPress) Leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the premier socio-political organization of the Kuki-Zo tribal groups in Manipur, are set to hold an important meeting with senior representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on January 17, according to KZC sources.
A leader from the KZC indicated that the council's leaders, under the guidance of Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet, have already arrived in Delhi to engage in this significant dialogue with MHA officials.
The KZC, which comprises 13 organizations from the Kuki-Zo tribal community, along with 10 tribal members of the legislative assembly, is advocating for a distinct administration that mirrors a Union Territory.
The upcoming January 17 meeting with the MHA officials is particularly crucial given the ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur and the pressing demand for a separate administration.
This week, the KZC appealed to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to initiate the deployment of neutral central security forces to mitigate the ethnic crisis while also reiterating their push for Union Territory status.
KZC leaders met with the Governor during his inaugural visit to the Churachandpur district, where they presented a memorandum that called for the maintenance of buffer zones between the hill and valley regions and the re-demarcation of district police jurisdictions.
The memorandum pointed out that despite over a year and a half of violence and displacements, there has been no notable improvement in security, and citizens continue to face a daily threat of violence.
“One-and-a-half years after the violence began, homes and properties of the Kuki-Zo community continue to be set ablaze and destroyed. Nearly 7,000 homes have been lost, more than 220 Kuki-Zo individuals have died, over 360 places of worship have been damaged, and around 40,000 individuals are now homeless,” the memorandum states.
The Kuki-Zo Council informed the Governor that “as a minority group with limited numbers and resources to defend ourselves, we are persistently at risk of attacks from militant organizations such as Arambai Tenggol and the banned UNLF, which possess a significant arsenal of weapons obtained from across the border or seized from state armories.”
The memorandum, co-signed by Council Chairman Thanglet and General Secretary Reverend Dr. VL Nghakthang, expressed: “Our only pathway to survival lies in a political resolution for the Kuki-Zo community, which means complete separation from the Manipur government and the Meitei people.”
They asserted that with the hills and valleys now divided, the only remaining requirement is administrative separation.
“Only after the separation is finalized will peace be achievable. We urge you to recognize our situation, act swiftly to address our issues, and support our aspiration for a distinct administration akin to a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239 (A) of the Indian Constitution,” the memorandum concluded.
During his first visit after taking office on January 3, the Governor toured Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, encouraging various civil society organizations to collaborate with the administration in peace-building initiatives. Bhalla also visited multiple relief camps in the two districts, engaging with displaced individuals who have been residing in these camps since the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur in May 2023.
