CoTU submits memorandum to Dr. Sambit Patra, renews demand for Separate Administration

IT News
Imphal, May 6:
During BJP National Spokesperson and North East In-Charge Dr. Sambit Patra’s visit to Kangpokpi, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) submitted a detailed three-page memorandum highlighting the urgent concerns of the Kuki-Zo community and reiterating their demand for a separate administration. The memorandum, presented as a unified voice of the Kuki-Zo people, reportedly warned that their survival and dignity were at serious risk under the current circumstances.
CoTU is said to have raised alarm over persistent violence targeting the Kuki-Zo community, alleging insufficient deployment of central security forces in vulnerable areas. They also expressed frustration over longstanding underrepresentation in both administrative and political spheres, which they claimed had left the community marginalized and constitutionally neglected.
Citing a breakdown in trust with the current state system, CoTU reaffirmed its call for a separate administration, stating it was a measure for survival rather than a demand for secession. The memorandum also called for protection of tribal areas, citing encroachments and exploitation of tribal land and resources. CoTU demanded constitutional safeguards under Article 371C and the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, along with formal recognition of ancestral territories.
While the community emphasized its commitment to peace and dialogue within the constitutional framework, it stressed that the demand for administrative autonomy stemmed from a need for safety and self-preservation. As a precondition for peace, CoTU insisted that any “Cessation of Hostilities” must begin with their full disarmament and dismantling, followed by the imposition of AFSPA across the state, and separate dialogues with the Ministry of Home Affairs for the Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups. It also declared that free movement across contested areas would not be permitted at this time and that any dialogue must involve mandated civil society organizations from the Meitei community.
The memorandum further demanded urgent attention to development and rehabilitation in tribal areas, including the establishment of a Hills University, a functional hospital in Kangpokpi, and comprehensive resettlement efforts for displaced persons.