UKHRUL: The Kuki Human Rights Council (KHRC) urged the BJP-led Central government to immediately reconsider its decision and take concrete steps to safeguard the rights and interests of the Kuki community. It warned that any attempt to form a government in Manipur without first arriving at a comprehensive political solution for the Kuki people would pose a grave threat to the very fabric of tribal democracy in India.
Reaffirming its long-standing position, the KHRC stated that the demand for a separate Kuki administration remains unwavering and is the only viable solution to address decades of historical injustice, neglect, and marginalisation faced by the community. The council called upon the Indian state to abandon what it described as a condescending attitude towards tribal peoples and to put an end to divisive tactics aimed at fragmenting the Kuki community and its sub-tribes.
Highlighting the contributions of the Kuki people to India’s freedom struggle, the KHRC stressed that the community deserves dignity, respect, and recognition for its distinct identity, culture, and history. It noted that prolonged exclusion from decision-making processes has silenced Kuki voices, hindered socio-economic development, and placed their cultural identity under threat.
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The council reiterated its demand for the creation of a separate state or Union Territory for the Kuki people, asserting that only such an arrangement can ensure the protection of their rights and enable them to chart an independent path of development.
Further, the KHRC asserted that the Kuki and Meitei peoples now stand completely separated—not only since the events of 3 May 2023, but historically in terms of land, boundaries, culture, and identity. This separation, it claimed, is evident to the entire world.
Concluding the statement, the KHRC appealed to the Government of India and the Modi administration to formally recognise this reality and grant a separate administration for the Kuki people in the interest of justice, peace, and democratic principles.