Thousands of people from the Kuki Zo community on Wednesday marched through Churachandpur town in Manipur, renewing their demand for a Union Territory with a legislature and a political resolution to what they described as long-standing injustices faced by the tribal population in the violence-hit state.
The demonstrators covered over four kilometres across the district headquarters, raising slogans and holding placards calling for a separate administrative arrangement. Leaders of the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) later submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking constitutional safeguards, land protection and self-governance.
Similar rallies were organised in Kuki-dominated areas of Moreh in Tengnoupal district, signalling a coordinated mobilisation across hill regions amid renewed political activity around government formation in the state.
The protests come against the backdrop of nearly three years of ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the Meitei community, which erupted on May 3, 2023, following protests over the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status in hill districts. The unrest has resulted in hundreds of deaths, displacement of over 60,000 people and deep territorial segregation between the valley and hill areas, paralysing normal life and economic activity.
Kuki-Zo organisations have consistently argued that the present administrative structure has failed to ensure security and equality for tribal communities. At a joint meeting held on January 13, representatives of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups, the KZC, ITLF and Kuki-Zo MLAs adopted resolutions seeking an “expedited political settlement”, including a Union Territory with a legislature to safeguard indigenous land rights and identity.
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“It is impossible for the Kuki-Zo people to continue under the same administrative arrangement after what we have endured,” the Kuki Zo Council said in a recent statement, adding that a political solution was essential for lasting peace.
The Centre, however, has ruled out the demand so far. The Ministry of Home Affairs has conveyed to Kuki-Zo representatives that “the current policy does not support creation of new Union Territories”, while stressing that any long-term resolution would require consultations with all stakeholders.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also indicated that the demand for a separate Union Territory is “not acceptable”, according to officials familiar with discussions held during recent security and political reviews of the situation in Manipur.
Despite the Centre’s position, Kuki-Zo groups have maintained that peace and reconciliation in the state are unattainable without a clear political roadmap. The latest rallies underscore the persistence of the demand and the growing pressure on the Union government to address the hill communities’ concerns as Manipur continues to grapple with the fallout of prolonged ethnic strife.
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