UKHRUL: The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) has accused the Manipur Legislative Assembly of ignoring the concerns and alleged atrocities against the Kuki-Zo community during the recently concluded 8th Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
In a statement issued on Sunday, KIM said it had closely monitored the Assembly proceedings, which began on September 2, and alleged that the session reflected what it described as the House’s “deeply partisan” approach towards the Kuki-Zo people.
KIM said the session was held despite its directive to Kuki-Zo legislators to boycott the proceedings, arguing that their participation could create a “false sense of normalcy” amid the ongoing conflict.
According to the KIM, the Assembly failed to initiate meaningful discussions on the humanitarian situation facing the Kuki-Zo population and instead focused on issues such as the proposed updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The organisation also cited the killing of three Kuki-Zo Christian church leaders, who were allegedly ambushed near Saheibung on May 13 while returning from a peace and reconciliation gathering in Churachandpur. KIM alleged that there had been no accountability or transparent investigation into the killings.
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It further alleged that supply routes and economic lifelines to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas had remained disrupted for months, restricting access to essential commodities, medicines and food supplies.
KIM said the Assembly’s alleged failure to address these issues, coupled with what it termed “anti-Kuki rhetoric” and the promotion of inter-tribal tensions, demonstrated that the Manipur government lacked the political capacity to govern the Kuki-Zo people fairly.
The organisation further said the latest Assembly session had reinforced its position that the physical, administrative and political separation between communities in Manipur had become “absolute and irreversible” since the outbreak of violence in May 2023.
Citing the constitutional guarantees of life and dignity under Article 21, the KIM maintained that the Kuki-Zo people could not have their fundamental rights adequately protected under what it described as an “Imphal-centric administration.”
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Reiterating its demand for a Separate Administration, the KIM called for the creation of a Union Territory with a legislature under the Constitution of India. It described the demand not as a political preference but as an “existential imperative” for safeguarding Kuki-Zo land, integrity and survival.
KIM also appealed to the Union Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the situation, alleging that continued political inaction and what it termed “forced inclusion” under the Manipur government were contributing to the humanitarian crisis.
It urged the Centre to address what it described as “institutional injustices,” secure the territorial boundaries of Kuki-Zo areas and expedite the political process towards granting a Separate Administration with a legislature.
