Latest news with #Kuki
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ban on movement of Kukis in Naga areas suspended
A Manipur group has suspended its ban on the movement of the Kuki people within the territories of four Naga communities. The Committee on Protection of Indigenous People's Ancestral Land (COPIPAL) said that the ban, which was to have taken effect on June 2, was withdrawn 'for some time' in the 'interest of maintaining peace' in the State. The COPIPAL, formed during a people's consultative meeting convened by the Joint Tribes Council on April 14 in the Kangpokpi district's Konsaram village, had announced a 'complete restriction on the movement of Kukis' within the territories of the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Zeme Naga communities. Konsaram is one of the oldest Naga villages in Manipur. According to the committee, the Kukis attacked the Liangmai Naga inhabitants of the village in an 'unprovoked and orchestrated act of aggression' on April 5, severely 'undermining the peace and dignity' of the indigenous Naga people. The COPIPAL described the attack as a threat to the safety, rights, and cultural identity of the Naga communities. Reacting to the COPIPAL decision on May 28, the Regional Naga Council of Manipur directed the Naga leaders and frontal organisations concerned to uphold the declaration of ban within their respective jurisdictions. However, the apex United Naga Council and the Joint Tribes Council later sought relaxation of the ban to facilitate people in the conflict-scarred State. The Nagas have been largely neutral in the conflict between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities that broke out on May 3, 2025, claiming more than 250 human lives and displacing some 60,000 others. Manipur has been under the President's Rule since February 13, days after N. Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kuki groups seek maintaining of buffer zones as ‘protective' step
New Delhi: Kuki groups on Saturday demanded that buffer zones should be maintained in Manipur as a 'protective measure' unless a comprehensive political solution such as a Union Territory with legislature is achieved. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At a press conference here, co-convener of Kuki Zo Women Forum Chong Haokip reiterated the demand for carving out a Union Territory with legislature from Manipur and said, "This is not against any community, this is a step required to ensure safety and right to existence of Kuki people." She said this demand should not be seen from a political angle, but as one required for safety and peace. "Kuki-Zo tribals have been chased out of Imphal, killed like animals. We were treated like enemies. We were killed because of our identity and the security forces didn't intervene in time. Govt could have saved us, but they didn't do anything," Haokip said. "Those living in Imphal for years were dislocated. The faith of Kuki-Zo people has been shaken. Despite having police, our people were being killed," she said. C Thangminlal Doungel, interim president of Kuki Students' Organisation Delhi & NCR, said buffer zones were a critical measure taken to halt violence and restore order. "Unless a political solution is found, the buffer zones must be maintained. The status quo is required because so far, peace has not been achieved," he said. The Kuki representatives also said their demand is within the tenets of the Constitution. "So many states have been reorganised, recently, Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two Union Territories. So what is the thing about Manipur's integrity? The Constitution recognises integrity of the country, not of any state," said advocate Vishwajeet Singh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The KSO Delhi & NCR also demanded in a statement that the govt should "fence the buffer zones". "The buffer zones must remain intact and enforced until a comprehensive political solution such as a Union Territory with legislature for the Kuki-Zo-is achieved. If the majoritarian govt is so hell bent on border fencing — it must also fence the buffer zones as that will act as permanent deterrent to the fragile peace in Manipur," the KSO said. PTI
Scroll.in
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Manipur: No order issued to mask ‘state transport' sign on bus, says chief secretary
The Manipur government had not issued any instructions to cover the words 'Manipur State Transport' on a state-run bus on May 20, Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh said on Thursday. Singh said that the incident was 'deeply regretted' and that the state administration had taken it with utmost seriousness. 'The State will also ensure that such an incident does not occur in future,' the official. The chief secretary said that what transpired on the ground that day will become clear only after a thorough inquiry. He added that Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had formed an inquiry committee consisting of the home department commissioner and the information technology secretary which will present its findings on the matter in a time-bound manner. On May 20, central security forces allegedly stopped a group of 20 journalists in Imphal East district and directed them to hide the 'Manipur State Transport' sign on the government bus they were travelling in. The incident occurred at the Gwaltabi checkpoint in Imphal East while the group was travelling to cover the Shirui Lily Festival, a cultural event organised by the state tourism department, in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The route to the district passes through several Kuki villages. The team initially tried to comply with the direction. However, delays due to negotiations with the security forces forced them to cancel the trip and return to Imphal. A video of the 'Manipur State Transport' sign being covered was circulated widely on social media. On May 27, the student wing of Meitei civil society group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity locked the offices of the chief electoral officer and the Geological Survey of India in Imphal West to protest the incident. Manipur has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.
Scroll.in
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Manipur: Meitei protesters lock Union government offices in Imphal
The student wing of Meitei civil society group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity on Tuesday intensified its protest against the Manipur administration by locking two Union government offices in Imphal, reported The Telegraph. This came in response to the May 20 incident when the words 'Manipur State Transport' were covered on a state-run bus. Protesters locked the offices of the chief electoral officer and the Geological Survey of India in Imphal West and demanded an apology from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. They alsonheld placards that said 'Apology to Manipur or Leave Manipur' and 'President's Rule must stop insulting Manipur's identity'. This was part of the group's broader campaign against Union government bodies. Tuesday marked the third consecutive day of protests. On May 20, central security forces allegedly stopped a group of 20 journalists in Imphal East district and directed them to hide the 'Manipur State Transport' sign on the government bus they were travelling in. The incident occurred at the Gwaltabi checkpoint in Imphal East while the group was travelling to cover the Shirui Lily Festival, a cultural event organised by the state tourism department, in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The route to the district passes through several Kuki villages. The team initially tried to comply with the direction. However, delays due to negotiations with the security forces forced them to cancel the trip and return to Imphal. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity had said at the time that the actions of the security personnel seemed like a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the Manipur government within its territory. After the incident, public outrage further intensified in the state following reports that the governor was flown by an Army helicopter from the Imphal airport to Kangla Fort – which is only 300 metres from the Raj Bhavan – in order to bypass road blockades by protesters on Monday, The Telegraph reported. Manipur has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024. President's Rule was imposed in February this year after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. Bhalla has been administering Manipur since then.
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Breakthrough likely in the fresh row brewing in Manipur after Centre meets key outfit
The row over covering of the word 'Manipur' on a state transport bus a few days ago, which has led to a fresh round of protests in the state, reached Delhi on Tuesday. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which is spearheading the protests in Imphal and has been demanding resignation of senior officers over the issue, met senior Union Home Ministry officials. On Monday, the protests had forced Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla, who was returning from Delhi after a meeting, to take a chopper to his residence from the Imphal airport. Congress state president K Meghachandra Singh said the incident showed the failure of President's Rule in the state. The seven-member COCOMI delegation, led by its convenor Khuraijam Athouba, met the Home Ministry's North East Advisor A K Mishra and Intelligence Bureau Joint Director Rajesh Kamble. Athouba told The Indian Express: 'We had a good talk. We spoke about various issues, including our engagement with the government over the Manipur situation, our opposition to giving legitimacy to SoO groups (the groups with which the government has reached suspension of operations agreements) and the problem of narco-terrorism in the state. We also told them about the sentiment in the Valley over the current row. They said they would convey the same to the government. We hope the government will take action.' While the COCOMI has been seeking resignations of the DGP, Chief Secretary and Advisor to the Manipur government, sources said the Centre may not cede more than a statement of regret over the issue. Sources within the Meitei civil society also indicated that an apology could bring the anger in the Valley down. The row stems from a May 20 incident when security forces allegedly stopped a state-run bus, which was carrying journalists to cover the Shirui Lily festival in Ukhrul district, near the Gwaltabi checkpost and forced Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) staffers to cover the state's name written on the windshield with a white paper. In the Valley, this was seen as an insult to the state. The festival itself was a big moment for the administration in Manipur, run by the Home Ministry under President's Rule, as it was the first time it was being held since the start of the conflict in the state in May 2023. Transport of participants from the Valley to the neutral Naga territory where the festival was held required passing through three Kuki settlements. It was to be the first major movement of the Meities to the area in two years. Home Ministry sources told The Indian Express Tuesday that the row was unfortunate and that, contrary to what is being alleged, the security forces had not asked for covering the 'Manipur' word on the bus. 'In fact, the security forces were not allowing the bus itself to go ahead since there are restrictions on plying of state transport buses through Kuki areas… The organisers of the trip suggested that the 'Manipur' marking on the bus be covered with white paper so that the bus could go ahead. When this was being done, the journalists sitting in the bus protested and a row erupted,' an official said. The official added: 'After the DIPR decided to take journalists to the Shirui Lily festival, it asked the Transport Department to hire a bus. Ideally, private transport should have been hired. But the state bus was sent.' Resumption of mobility between the Meitei and Kuki areas had been one of the promises made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after the imposition of President's Rule, with a deadline of March 8 set for it. However, the very first day, a Manipur state transport bus passing through Kangpokpi, a Kuki-dominated district, had been attacked and even fired upon. Since then, Manipur State Transport buses have not been plying in Kuki areas. In a statement after its meeting with Home Ministry officials Tuesday, the COCOMI said: 'The delegation conveyed the strong sentiments and demands of the people regarding the Gwaltabi issue. The MHA officials assured that the matter has been noted for necessary governmental action.' Raising the latest row, Congress general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh demanded Shah's resignation on Monday. 'President's Rule appears to have made no difference whatsoever in Manipur. Today the Governor had to take a helicopter from the airport in Imphal to Kangla Fort in order to reach his residence. Meanwhile, the PM is busy giving filmi dialogues in different parts of the country and politicising Operation Sindoor while continuing to ignore Manipur. The Union Home Minister has failed most miserably and should resign for his total failure to bring a semblance of normalcy in Manipur, which he has been managing,' Ramesh said in a statement. Meghachandra said: 'Who instructed the Manipur Governor to remove the word 'Manipur' from the Manipur State Transport Corporation bus? Double-Engine government (of the BJP) has already failed Manipur over the last more than two years. President's Rule, too, has failed Manipur.' PM Modi has 'repeatedly' failed Manipur, the Congress state chief said. 'Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. The Manipur Governor should be recalled.'
