Roll back resettlement bid, Kuki groups in Manipur say after firing; Meiteis demand action

In a statement, KZC spokesperson said the decision of the Deputy Commissioner, Bishnupur, to flag off resettlement of Meitei displaced persons in the Torbung "buffer zone" was "irresponsible and provocative."

Guwahati: Hours after firing on the periphery of Bishnupur-Churachandpur district in Manipur, Kuki groups on Wednesday demanded that the move for resettlement of the displaced Meiteis close to the "buffer zone" be rolled back to avoid further escalation. 

In a statement, Kuki Zo Council (KZC) spokesperson, Ginza Vualzong, said the decision of the Deputy Commissioner, Bishnupur, to flag off resettlement of Meitei displaced persons in the Torbung "buffer zone" was "irresponsible and provocative." 

"A sensitive administration would have avoided resettlement in such a volatile area. Allowing Meitei displaced persons to resettle in the buffer zone amounts to inviting renewed conflict." 

KZC is an apex body of Kuki Zo organisations, now engaged in talks with the government to find a solution to the Meitei-Kuki conflict since May 2023. 

"Manipur crisis is not a law-and-order issue but a political one rooted in ethnic cleansing. Peace will come only through a political solution," Vualzong said. 

Meiteis seek crackdown: 

Meanwhile, organisations representing the Meiteis demanded a crackdown against Kuki armed groups following Tuesday night's firing targeting displaced Meitei people, who resettled in their villages in the Torbung area.

The Coordination Committee on Manipur Unity (COCOMI), a Valley-based group, also demanded action against Vualzong for allegedly trying to justify the firing targetting the Meiteis. 

Torbung is an area in Meitei-dominated Bishnupur where both Meiteis and the Kukis lived until the conflict began in May 2023.

Following the violence, Kukis fled to neighbouring Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated district, while the Meiteis had to flee to Meitei-dominated areas in Bishnupur district. 

Meitei Alliance and Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation also condemned the firing and demanded action against the Kuki armed groups.