Manipur violence: Kuki apex body demands separate administration for justice and equality

The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, claimed that the only way forward for peace and normalcy in the region is the legitimate constitutional and democratic right for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo community.

Further, the Kuki-Zo people would like to sincerely appeal to all government agencies, media persons, and all concerned groups and individuals of our great country to help the tribe fight for constitutional rights for justice and equality in the face of the ruthless persecution of the radical Meiteis.

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In the press release the apex body mentioned that as per the 2011 Census, the Meiteis constitute 43.82 per cent of the total population of Manipur while the Kuki-Zo community constitutes merely 15.69 per cent of the total population of the state. It is therefore evidently conclusive that the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur is a war of the Majority Meiteis against the Minority Kuki-Zo community. Besides, although the conflict in Manipur is not triggered by religious differences per se; the presence of a religious undertone is irrefutable in the fact that even in Meitei some Meitei churches were attacked by the Meitei radicals.

On the influx of illegal immigrants, the tribal body wrote, "Biren Singh stated that the State Government will not tolerate the influx of illegal immigrants."

To that matter, the influx of Myanmar-based terrorist groups into the Imphal Valley is critically alarming. On the same note, Biren Singh’s statement on the signing of SoO between the government of India and one of the Meitei militant groups is highly suspicious, especially at a time when the Meiteis are unequivocally demanding the removal of SoO with the Kuki Zo groups.