Thousands of Kuki-Zo tribals gathered in Manipur’s Churachandpur district for a rally seeking a prompt political resolution to the community’s enduring issues. Led by the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), the demonstrators marched over 4 km, advocating for solutions like a Union Territory with a legislature. The leaders of KZC and ITLF later presented a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur, urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address their concerns.
Similar rallies took place in Kuki-Zo tribal areas in Moreh, Tengnoupal district, where the community highlighted the challenges faced during the past three years due to ethnic conflicts with the Meitei community. The memorandum emphasized the loss of over 250 lives, destruction of thousands of houses, desecration of places of worship, and displacement of more than 40,000 individuals. It noted the severe impact on the Kuki-Zo population, leading to a significant separation from the Meitei people.
The memorandum underscored the difficulties faced by the Kuki-Zo people in traversing Meitei-dominated areas since May 3, 2023, compelling them to rely on poorly maintained hill inter-village roads. Signed by KZC Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet and General Secretary Thangzamang, the document also called for safeguarding Kuki-Zo land and properties in the Imphal Valley, inhabited by the Meitei community. State officials reported casualties, injuries, and displacements resulting from ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities following a Tribal Solidarity March on May 3, 2023.
