The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum stated that it has unanimously endorsed the decision of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) Governing Council that the Kuki-Zo people will neither join nor support the formation of the Manipur Government under the prevailing circumstances.
In a statement issued after a meeting held yesterday, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said the Kuki-Zo people have been subjected to what it described as inhuman treatment during the ongoing crisis. The forum alleged that members of the community were killed, brutally assaulted, paraded naked, and forcibly driven out of the Imphal Valley. It further stated that thousands of houses were burned, places of worship were destroyed and desecrated, and more than 40,000 people continue to remain internally displaced after losing their homes, land, and livelihoods.
The forum said that the violent separation and forced displacement of the Kuki-Zo population from Meitei-dominated areas have irreversibly damaged trust and coexistence. Under such circumstances, it maintained that continuing within the existing administrative framework of Manipur has become untenable. The statement asserted that the demand for a Separate Administration has therefore become a constitutional and political necessity.
According to the ITLF, the Kuki-Zo people have formally placed before the Government of India their demand for the creation of a Union Territory with a legislature. Having sought this political solution, the forum stated that there is no justification for joining the Manipur Government.
Recalling earlier developments, the forum said that on May 12, 2023, following what it described as the failure of the Manipur State to protect the Kuki-Zo people, elected representatives from the community sought Separate Administration from the Union of India. The statement said this position remains firm and unchanged.
The ITLF categorically stated that no Kuki-Zo Member of the Legislative Assembly will join the Manipur Government. It warned that any deviation from this collective stand would be regarded as a betrayal of the will and sacrifices of the Kuki-Zo people.