New Delhi: Members of the Kuki Students’ Organisation and the Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum from Delhi and NCR staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding a separate Union Territory with a legislature for the Kuki areas of Manipur.
The protestors expressed their inability to return to Manipur until the ongoing crisis in the northeastern state is resolved.
Chanting slogans and holding placards, the protestors accused former Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh of being responsible for the deteriorating situation in the state.
They dismissed his recent resignation as a “smokescreen” and reiterated their demand for a distinct administration to protect their community’s interests.
In a statement issued at the demonstration, the Kuki-Zo representatives highlighted the historical injustices and systemic exclusion faced by their community despite its integral role in the Indian Union.
They accused the current administrative machinery in Manipur of failing to protect their lives, address grievances, and safeguard their cultural and linguistic identity.
The statement emphasized the urgency of establishing a separate Union Territory to secure self-governance and ensure the preservation of the community’s heritage and land rights.
They also urged the central government to form a committee to draft a roadmap for a distinct administration, which they believe is the only viable solution to the Kuki-Zo people’s plight.
The protestors demanded assurances of safety before relinquishing arms, stressing that without such guarantees, disarmament would be impossible.
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They accused the state of prioritizing territorial integrity over the safety and well-being of its citizens and questioned the lack of constitutional safeguards for their community.
They appealed directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider their demands, including the creation of a Union Territory under Articles 239A and 3 of the Constitution, and to take concrete steps toward fulfilling them.
Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence for the past 21 months, with over 250 lives lost.
The Kuki-Zo community, who have long blamed Biren Singh for the unrest, welcomed his resignation on February 9.
However, they remain critical of the state’s inability to resolve the deep-seated tensions, even after President’s Rule was imposed on February 13.
