UKHRUL: The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex traditional and political body of the Kuki people, has welcomed the constitution of the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes by the Government of India.
In a press statement issued Thursday, the KIM stated that it views the constitution of the committee as a long-overdue and decisive step towards establishing truth, justice, and historical accuracy in the face of persistent falsehoods that have been weaponized against their people. “We are confident that this impartial, high-powered committee, chaired by a respected retired Justice and comprising eminent experts, will conduct a thorough, data-driven, and transparent investigation into demographic shifts across the country, particularly in border states like Manipur,” it stated.
Also read | Thadou Inpi Manipur Urges Cancellation of KIM Rally, Seeks Respect for Thadou Identity
The Kuki apex body stated that far from fearing scrutiny, the Kuki-Zo community stands ready to fully cooperate with the Committee. It also stated that it will ensure that the Committee comprehensively understands the tumultuous demographic changes that the Kuki-Zo people have actually undergone due to repeated, large-scale displacements and ethnic cleansing over the decades. “We firmly believe that any genuine, evidence-based study will categorically debunk the malicious and fabricated narratives of ‘illegal immigration’ peddled by vested interests. These baseless claims have been repeatedly used as a smokescreen to discredit our genuine political aspirations, sabotage our legitimate movement for rights and dignity, and justify targeted violence and ethnic cleansing against our people,” it said.
Further, the KIM also claims that the Kuki-Zo people have been victims — not perpetrators — of demographic aggression and engineered population changes for decades: Starting from the 1950s Naga movement and subsequent incursions; the brutal ethnic cleansing campaign by NSCN-IM in the 1990s that displaced thousands of Kukis; and the ongoing state-sponsored ethnic cleansing and violence unleashed against Kuki-Zo villages, homes, and churches since 2023.
Also read | Ukhrul MLA Ram Muivah Seeks CM’s Intervention on District’s Current Plight
“These successive waves of violence have caused enormous demographic upheaval, forced migrations, loss of ancestral villages, and severe impacts on our population distribution, land ownership, and livelihood patterns. We will place all documented evidence — including census records, displacement figures, and historical accounts — before the Committee so that these realities are fully accounted for,” it reiterated.
It also pointed out that the fabricated narrative of “illegal immigration” by the Kuki-Zo people is a dangerous myth deliberately propagated by vested interests to invert the roles of victim and perpetrator. “It has been used to discredit our genuine political aspirations, sabotage our legitimate movement for rights and security, and justify the killing and displacement of our people. We are confident that a rigorous, evidence-based study by the Committee will categorically debunk these baseless claims once and for all,” the press statement continued, adding that with the formation of this Committee, they expect the era of politically motivated disinformation to end.
“The Government of India now has a clear opportunity to separate fact from fiction. We call upon the Committee to examine all relevant data without bias so that its findings can pave the way for the recognition of the inalienable political rights of the Kuki-Zo people, the protection of our ancestral lands, and a final, honorable political settlement that ensures our security, dignity, and future within the Indian Union,” KIM further added.
Also read | Solidarity Protest Held in Nagaland’s Peren District Demanding Safe Release of 6 Naga Hostages
Kuki Inpi Manipur reiterates its commitment to peace, constitutional processes, and national integrity, while firmly asserting that we will not allow fabricated narratives to delegitimise our existence or obstruct justice any longer. The time for truth has come, it concluded.