Kuki groups seek separate administration, probe into violence in Manipur

In a statement issued at a press conference in Delhi, the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) Delhi said the demands were part of a broader call for justice, security and a political solution to the ongoing crisis in the northeastern state.

New Delhi: Kuki organisations on Saturday demanded a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people and impartial investigations into the recent clashes in Manipur, asserting that the community has faced decades of displacement, violence and constitutional marginalisation.

In a statement issued at a press conference in Delhi, the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) Delhi and NCR and other Kuki representatives said the demands were part of a broader call for justice, security and a political solution to the ongoing crisis in the northeastern state.

The groups called for enforcement of Article 371C and restoration of the constitutional role of the Hill Areas Committee, alleging that administrative powers over hill villages had been transferred to valley-based authorities in violation of constitutional safeguards.

They claimed that 462 hill villages had been brought under valley-based revenue jurisdiction, 192 hill villages placed under valley police stations and valley sub-registrar offices exercised jurisdiction over hill lands.

The groups also renewed their demand for a formal inquiry into the 1992-93 violence involving the NSCN-IM, alleging that more than 1,000 Kuki civilians were killed and over 360 villages destroyed during the period.

"There has never been a full accounting," the statement said, demanding rehabilitation and justice for affected families.

Referring to the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023, the Kuki representatives alleged large-scale destruction and displacement of the community.

They claimed that thousands of homes and over 200 churches and places of worship had been damaged or destroyed and more than 41,000 people displaced.

The KSO Delhi and NCR also expressed concern over the continued detention of 14 Kuki-Zo individuals allegedly held by Manipur Naga groups in Senapati district and demanded their "safe, immediate and unconditional release".

The organisation urged the Government of India and central security agencies to intervene decisively and initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible for the alleged abductions.

The Kuki groups strongly condemned the killing of three Thadou-Kuki church leaders on May 13, alleging that the attack was carried out by the ZUF (Kamson faction), which they described as a proxy of the NSCN-IM.

The KSO said no arrests had been made despite public outrage and demanded a fair and time-bound investigation by central agencies.

The organisations further alleged renewed violence in parts of Ukhrul and Kamjong districts this year, including attacks on villages, killings and displacement.

Calling for a long-term political settlement, the KSO urged the Centre to expedite dialogue with Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups representing the Kuki-Zo people and work towards what it described as an "honourable, constitutional and lasting political solution".

The groups maintained that the Kuki-Zo people were not seeking "sympathy or special favour" but justice, constitutional protection and security.

"We are demanding justice, equal protection under the Constitution, security and the fundamental right to live with dignity and peace," the KSO said in its statement.