Manipur: Kuki-Zo women demands Home Ministry to secure buffer zone with central forces

Upon learning of the reported Home Ministry's decision to divert central security forces from buffer zones to patrol highways, a throng of impassioned Kuki-Zo women flooded the streets of Gamgiphai, demanding a swift reversal of the ministry's stance.

On inquiry, it was found that there was no official notification letter from the Home Ministry. However, the Kuki-Zo women indicated that certain district officials verbally communicated the decision made by the Home Ministry.

One of the Kuki-Zo women leader underscored the pivotal role played by central security forces in upholding safety and tranquility in the buffer zones while voicing her perplexity, with palpable concern, regarding Home Minister Amit Shah's abrupt choice to withdraw these crucial forces.

She also passionately underscored the horrific treatment inflicted upon the Kuki-Zo people, yet lamented the glaring absence of any CBI or NIA investigations into these atrocities.

She then asked as to why the Home Minister had chosen to withdraw central security forces from buffer zones despite the ongoing infliction of gruesome, inhumane treatment upon the Kuki-Zo populace.

In clear defiance of the alleged decision by the Home Ministry, the Kuki-Zo women voiced their refusal to accept it and urged the Ministry to reconsider its stance.

The Kuki-Zo women also chanted slogan, such as, "Don't withdraw central security forces from buffer zones", "We want Separate Administration", etc.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Tribal Unity, or the CoTU, Sadar Hills also backed the Kuki-Zo women's call for the Home Ministry to review its decision to deploy central forces from buffer zones to patrol the highway.

Ng. Lun Kipgen, CoTU's Media Cell Coordinator while strongly condemning the recent bomb blast at a minor bridge near Saparmeina by unknown miscreants, asserted that it is crucial to note the dire situation facing the minority tribal Kuki-Zo community who endured oppression and subjugation and are at the brink of complete annihilation under the biased state administration led by majoritarian Meitei leadership.

He said that against this backdrop, the Home Ministry's decision to deploy Central Security Forces for Election Duty is both sensitive and ill-timed.

He also pointed out that the creation of "buffer zones" and the deployment of Central security forces in the border regions between the Kuki-Zo community in the Hills and the Meitei community in the valley served as a crucial mechanism to quell tensions and prevent conflicts between these two adversarial groups.
 
He further said that so far, these Central security forces have been able to fulfill their mandate by maintaining neutrality in discharging their duty. 

However, it is also an uncalled decision by the Home Ministry to delegate some of these forces from the buffer zones to manned the Asian Highways/ NH 2 with regards to the recent blast, will nullify the principle objective to deter further escalation of conflict between the two warring communities, he added.

He then said that the Committee appealed to the Centre Government to reconsider the situation when unabated firing is still going on and to contained the state of Manipur from teetering towards Talibanization. 

He also said that in view of the present volatile situations and the unresolve cases of the two Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers at Phailengmol, who were butchered in the most inhuman manner by the sesessionist Meitei terrorist and Arambal Tenggol, the Committee is constrained to extend shutting down of all government offices in Sadar Hills Kangpokpi until further notice.