Manipur: Kuki-Zo tribals firm on Puducherry type UT, Centre ‘averse’ to demand

IMPHAL — The Kuki-Zo tribal community in Manipur remained firm for a separate administration like the Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly exclusively for the tribals similar to the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Tribal leaders said on Wednesday that two Ministers and two MLAs belonging to the Kuki-Zo tribal community during a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Center that a separate administration like that of Union Territory with a legislative assembly for the Kuki-Zo community is a prerequisite for any peace dialogue.

“We want a Puducherry model of Union Territory in Manipur for the Kuki-Zo tribal community. We have been demanding for a separate administration for the tribals since the ethnic crisis began in May last year,” a Kuki MLA, who attended Tuesday’s Delhi meeting, told IANS.  

A senior official of the Manipur government while talking on condition of anonymity told IANS that the MHA officials in Tuesday’s meeting were “aversed on the separate administration demand of the Kuki-Zo Ministers and MLAs”.

Union and the state governments have on a number of occasions earlier also rejected the demand for separate administrations or a Union Territory.

17 months after the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, the MHA held the first meeting with all three major communities — Meitei, Kuki, and Naga — in a bid to find a way to a peaceful solution to the protracted unrest.

The non-tribal Meiteis account for around 53 per cent of Manipur’s around 3.2 million population and live mostly in the valley regions comprising 6/7 districts while the tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts, which cover around 90 per cent of the geographical areas of Manipur.

The Valley region has a total of 40 non-tribal Meitei MLAs, while the hills have 19 MLAs divided between the Naga and the Kuki-Zo tribes and one seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste community.

Jiribam district, a largely plain area adjoining southern Assam beyond the hills, is inhabited by both tribals and non-tribals.

After the crucial Tuesday meeting, an official statement said that a group of elected members of the Manipur Assembly, representing Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga communities, met in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the current scenario in the state.

“The meeting unanimously resolved to appeal to the people of the state belonging to all communities to shun the path of violence so that no more precious lives of innocent citizens are lost,” the statement said.

The Kuki legislator, who attended the meeting with the MHA officials on Tuesday, further said that they emphasised their full confidence in the leadership of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples’ Front (UPF) and confirmed that they have no additional demands beyond those already presented by the two outfits.

“We urged the MHA that political dialogue with the KNO-UPF leadership should resume at the earliest. We reaffirmed our stand and expressed reluctance to participate in any joint meetings with the Meitei and Naga MLAs. They emphasised any such meetings should only occur after thorough deliberation with the public,” the legislator said.

The UPF and KNO, which are a conglomerate of 23 underground outfits, signed a Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the government on August 22, 2008, and then there are 2,266 UPF and KNO cadres have been staying in different designated camps in Manipur.

Congress was in power in Manipur when the SoO was signed.

All the leading organisations of the majority of Meiteis have been accusing the Kuki militants of violating the ground rules of SoO and allegedly are involved in many crimes and violence violating law and order.

Sources said that around seven Ministers and 13 legislators from Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities took part in the meeting called by the Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

They said that MHA’s advisor, North East Affairs, A. K. Mishra, Intelligence Bureau’s Joint Director Rajesh Kumble and other senior officials and BJP’s North-East India Coordinator Sambit Patra, the saffron party’s Manipur in-charge Ajeet Gopchade were present at the meeting.

The vital meeting was held on Tuesday after Home Minister Amit Shah last month indicated to resolve the ethnic imbroglio in Manipur through discussions between the Meiteis and Kukis.

On June 17, the Home Minister during a review meeting on the law and order situation in Manipur gave similar indications.

Meanwhile, 10 tribals MLAs, including seven BJP legislators, and several Kuki-Zo organisations including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) since the ethnic violence started in Manipur in May last year, have been demanding separate administrations or a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo tribals in Manipur.

The 10 legislators included Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen, who are ministers in Chief Minister N. Biren Singh-led 12-member ministry in Manipur.

The ethnic violence between the non-tribals Meiteis and tribal Kuki-Zo broke out in the northeastern state on May 3 last year after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

So far, over 230 people have been killed in the strife. As many as 11,133 houses have been set on fire, out of which 4,569 homes have been completely destroyed. A total of 11,892 cases have been registered in different police stations in connection with the ethnic violence.

The state government has established 302 relief camps to provide shelter to 59,414 internally displaced persons.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujitchakrabortyne@gmail.com)