A delegation of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), an apex body of Kuki-Zo groups, met Union home ministry officials in New Delhi on Friday to discuss their demands for a separate administrative region, while urging the Centre to initiate a quick political dialogue for restoring peace in Manipur, people familiar with the development said.
The home ministry officials asked the delegation to maintain peace till any decision on their demands is taken, the people added.
KZC, a conglomerate of 13 organisations of the Kuki-Zo tribal community, and 10 tribal MLAs have been demanding a separate administrative area equivalent to a Union Territory.
Their first-ever meeting with the home ministry assumes significance in view of the ongoing ethnic violence in the state, where over 250 people have been killed and over 60,000 displaced since May 2023.
“This is the first time that Kuki-Zo Council met the home ministry representatives. It was like an icebreaker. We have told the government that we wanted a quick solution in Manipur, for which a quick political dialogue should be initiated,” said Ginza Vualzong, a spokesperson of the council, a forum of major organisations representing the Kuki-Zo communities. Vualzong and chairman of KZC - Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet – were part of the delegation.
The meeting was attended by A K Mishra, interlocutor for peace talks in the north-east and a joint director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) among others.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting was attended by A K Mishra, interlocutor for peace talks in the north-east and a joint director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) among others.
{{/usCountry}}Last week, the Kuki-Zo Council met the state’s newly-appointed Govenor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, in Churachandpur and demanded a political solution – a Union territory with a legislature under article 239 (A) of the constitution -- that will take into account the needs of Kuki-Zo in Manipur.
They also asked for a neutral security force and the need for respect of buffer zones.
Vualzong said they told the MHA officials on Friday that they have the same demands, as given to the Governor last week. “In order for Manipur to have peace, there must be a dialogue. The government has asked us to not fire at each other until they consider the demands,” he added.
Earlier, the Centre had summoned the MLAs belonging to both Kuki and Meitei communities to New Delhi for a joint meeting but Kuki-Zo MLAs refused to share the dais with their Meitei counterparts.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence between the Meitei community, which is dominant in Imphal Valley, and the tribal Kuki-Zo communities, who are a majority in nearby hill districts, since May 2023.