Separate UT in Manipur not feasible: MHA to Kuki groups

The Centre has indicated to Kuki-Zo groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements that their demand for a separate union territory with a legislative Assembly is not feasible.

This was conveyed to representatives of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), the two groups part of the SoO, during a two-day talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on November 6 and 7 in New Delhi.

The discussions primarily focused on the Kuki-Zo community’s core political demand for the creation of a UT with a legislative Assembly. MHA officers reiterated that though the Centre was sensitive to the plight of the Kuki-Zo people, the current policy did not support creation of new UT, sources privy to developments said. The officials are learnt to have conveyed to the representatives, the need for consultations with other communities in Manipur.

The KNO-UPF delegation urged the Centre to reconsider its position in view of the fact that the “Constitution is above the government policy”. The delegation also pointed out that the ground zero situation in the state made coexistence impossible between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, requiring the need to invoke necessary provisions of the Constitution to secure Kuki-Zo lives and property.

The talks also covered key community concerns, including issues of land, forests, customs and development, along with mutual confidence-building measures to be pursued alongside the regular political dialogue.

The SoO leaders urged the MHA to take concrete steps to protect traditional tribal land rights and uphold the authority of chiefs, who traditionally manage land and customary matters in the hill areas.

They also urged the government to remove administrative hurdles related to the succession of village chiefs after their demise and to simplify procedures for land registration and deed processing, which currently require travel to Imphal, an area that has become inaccessible and unsafe for the Kuki-Zo community since the outbreak of ethnic violence, the sources indicated.

The severe problems faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) were also discussed at length in respect to their rehabilitation being expedited with essential security and amenities ensured by the government. The first day of the talks reviewed the implementation of the September 4 tripartite agreement signed between the MHA, the Manipur Government and the SoO groups.

The Kuki-Zo representatives highlighted the breakdown of governance and law and order in Kuki-Zo inhabited areas following the ethnic conflict, calling for an alternative administrative arrangement to ensure security and development.

On the second day, deliberations centred on the Kuki-Zo demand for a UT with legislature. The delegations reiterated that “coexistence under the present Manipur state administrative structure is no longer possible” following what they described as “ethnic cleansing” beginning on May 3, 2023, in Imphal.

The Kuki-Zo leaders argued that their demand was both historically and constitutionally justified. They pointed out that before the Independence, the Kuki-Zo Hills were never under the Manipur State Durbar’s control and were classified as an “excluded area” under the Government of India Act, 1935, administered directly by the British Political Agent, not the Meitei monarchy. They further explained that the tribal chief-owned land tenure system was fundamentally incompatible with the state-controlled land model in the valley, reflecting historically distinct administrative systems.