New Delhi: Tribal outfits representing Kuki-Zo communities of Manipur have written to Union home minister Amit Shah suggesting that a political solution in the form of separate administration or Union territory for the hill districts be considered to contain the ongoing violence in the state.
Both the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum and the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) have submitted their respective memoranda to Shah through district magistrates. They appealed to the Union government to consider the creation of a Union territory with a legislature for Kuki-Zo communities under Article 239 (A) of the Indian constitution.
The CoTU has also suggested that the Centre must consider establishing a Kuki-Zo regiment under the Indian military apparatus by streamlining the existing Kuki-Zo village volunteer forces, “so as to prevent the upsurge of armed insurgency among young Kuki-Zo defenders”, E-Pao reported.
The memoranda said that the tribal communities have been living under the constant threat posed by armed groups possessing large arsenals of weapons. These groups, the tribal outfits said, have openly declared their intention to either eliminate the ‘tribal’ population or force them out of their lands.
They also alleged that the maintenance of public infrastructure and development works in the Kuki-Zo areas have come to a halt. “ITLF further alleged that the state government has conducted mass job recruitments, excluding ‘tribal’ youth from these opportunities due to their inability to travel to the state capital, consequently deepening feelings of discrimination and marginalisation,” the E-Pao report added.
Until a political solution is reached, the ITLF said the Centre should consider setting up a separate secretariat for the hill districts.
Opposition to separate administration calls
On Monday, the women vendors of Ima Market, who are grouped under the banner of the Khwairamband Ima Keithel Coordinating Committee for Peace, took to the streets of Imphal to demand immediate parliamentary intervention into the ongoing violence in the state.
While opposing the calls for separate administration by the Kuki-Zo community, the women vendors appealed to the Union government to preserve the unity and integrity of Manipur.
Police foiled the group’s attempts to march towards the Manipur Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s Bungalow to press their demands. The police intercepted them at the western gate of Kangla Fort, and the protestors were sent back to Khwairamband Bazar.
“Our representatives have failed to raise their voices for the people they are supposed to serve. Their silence is a grave disservice to the citizens of Manipur who are living in fear and uncertainty,” said Peace Committee co-convenor Huirem Binodini, according to Imphal Free Press.
Metei body reasserts demand for ST status
The World Meetei Council has reasserted its demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) to Meteis in an open letter to chief minister N. Biren Singh. The particular demand was indeed an immediate trigger for the outbreak of violence on May 3 last year, which continues to rage on till date.
The Council held its two-day meeting recently and issued an ultimatum to Singh to send reports to the Union government by August – when the work for the delimitation exercise of 2026 kicks off – recommending ST status for Meiteis. According to the Metei body, the delimitation exercise is set to “decimate” the Meetei identity, Imphal Free Press reported.
At present, the Manipur assembly has 40 seats in the valley and 20 seats in the hills, based on the 1971 census report. This could change with the delimitation exercise.
The Metei body said that according to the 1971 census, 69% of Manipur’s population resided in the valley, while the remaining 31% lived in the hills. Though the census does not provide community-wise population figures, the body said, various indices suggest that the Meetei population comprised approximately 60% of the total population of Manipur in the 1971 census report.
According to the 2011 census, the Meetei population consisted of approximately 44%, indicating a sharp decline from the 1971 census, the Council said. It cited a low birth rate among the Meteis and an unchecked heavy influx of migrants, especially from Myanmar and Bangladesh as reasons for the drop in their population.
The Metei Council said it was their community that has adhered to the National Population Policy of “Small Family, Happy Family”, but yet “the paradox is that delimitation is set to penalise those who dutifully followed the National Policy and reward those who have not and the 2026 delimitation is poised to victimise the Meetei for being lawful and obedient citizens, posing a threat to our identity”.
It said that enlisting Meetei in the ST list of the Indian constitution is the “only one way to protect our identity”.