Kuki-Zo tribal bodies from across several Hill districts in Manipur issued a joint statement on June 21 opposing elections to the Autonomous District Council, which the State Cabinet said last week would be held in September this year. The tribal bodies urged members of the public not to participate in the elections “unless political demands are met.”
In the joint statement, signed by representatives of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (Churachandpur), the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), the Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Council (Jiribam and Pherzawal), and Kuki Inpi Manipur of Chandel and Tengnoupal districts, the groups said holding the elections in the middle of the ongoing ethnic conflict was nothing but an attempt to “create division among us by pitting us against each other.”
The Kuki-Zo tribal people of Manipur have been demanding a separate administration since the ethnic conflict broke out, insisting that this had to be the first step to solving the crisis.
The statement from the Kuki-Zo tribal bodies comes days after the Manipur Cabinet issued a press communication on June 13, announcing that local body elections and polls for the ADCs would be held in September this year, adding that the Cabinet had also agreed to seek the Hill Areas Committee’s views on the ADC elections.
There are six ADCs in Manipur: Chandel, Churachandpur, Sadar Hills (Kangpokpi), Manipur North (Senapati), Tamenglong, and Ukhrul. Of these, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts are dominated by the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribes, while Ukhrul and Senapati are dominated by the Nagas. The other districts have a mixed tribal population.
In their statement, the tribal bodies representing the Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur said, “Chief Minister Biren Singh refused to conduct ADC elections for seven years (since he came to power in 2017) and emasculated all bodies that he did not control directly. The decision to suddenly conduct elections amidst the conflict is clearly an attempt to sow division among tribals. We urge the public not to participate in the elections unless political demands are met.”
The tribal bodies went on to say that the political solution they are seeking “should come at the earliest to end the suffering of the people” and urged the Union government to expedite the demand for a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239A. A mass rally has also been organised on June 24 in the districts of Churachandpur, Pherzawl, Kanggui, and Tengnoupal.
Call for buffer zone in Jiribam
Meanwhile, days after top officials in the security establishment asserted that no buffer zones would be allowed in Jiribam district, like in other parts of Manipur, tribal bodies insisted that a buffer zone was needed in Jiribam to protect the Kuki-Zo-Hmar people from further attacks. They said the recent violence in the district had already led to a “complete separation” between the Kuki-Zo-Hmar people and the Meitei people in the district.
In a separate statement, the ITAC of Jiribam and Pherzawl districts said, “It is recommended that the central security forces be heavily deployed along both sides of the line of separation to prevent the Meitei terrorist group, the Arambai Tenggol, who are being aided by Manipur state forces, from entering tribal villages, particularly Zairawn, Mongbung, Phaituol, Muolzawl, and Sizang. A buffer zone, similar to those already established in other areas, needs to be created by the central security forces.”
In their joint statement, the tribal bodies also reiterated their opposition to the removal of the Free Movement Regime along the Indo-Myanmar border, which Home Minister Amit Shah has said would be suspended. The tribal bodies said, “We urge everyone —officials, contractors, and others — to refuse to participate in any FMR-related activity,” adding that they also opposed the proposed border fencing.
Published - June 21, 2024 09:55 pm IST
