Manipur: Kuki-Zo SoO Groups Reaffirm Demand for Union Territory with Legislature in Tripartite Talks

Kuki-Zo organisations under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement have told the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that returning to Manipur's existing administrative structure is impractical, insisting that establishing a Union Territory (UT) with a Legislature is the sole practical and constitutional resolution to the ongoing ethnic crisis.

This stance was clearly expressed in the second round of tripartite discussions held in New Delhi, attended by officials from the MHA, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), the United People’s Front (UPF), and representatives of the Manipur Government. A joint statement released by KNO and UPF highlighted key topics, including tribal land rights, shortcomings in governance, and the security and humanitarian challenges in Manipur's hill districts following the violence that erupted on May 3, 2023.

The Kuki-Zo side was represented by prominent leaders from KNO and UPF, while the Centre's delegation included the North East Security Advisor. A senior Manipur Government official also participated.

In the talks, the groups emphasised that land in the hill regions has traditionally been controlled by village chiefs under customary laws, which form the foundation of local administration. They accused past Manipur governments of progressively eroding these systems through measures that weakened traditional authorities and tribal land ownership.

The KNO and UPF argued that a UT with a Legislature would offer a balanced governance framework to protect ancestral land rights, deliver impartial administration, and rebuild community confidence.

Characterising the situation as a profound survival threat rather than a mere bureaucratic issue, the organisations pointed to the total segregation of communities since May 2023 and what they described as biased use of state resources against tribal residents, which has permanently damaged ties with the Manipur administration.

“Returning to the current state framework is untenable,” the statement declared, stressing that on-ground conditions have made the present setup unsustainable.

The groups portrayed the 2023 clashes not as a one-off incident but as the result of long-term strategies to deprive tribals of their lands via aggressive reforms and political pressure. They maintained that only a UT Legislature could provide the required impartiality and power to reverse this trend.

They also criticised pre-violence actions by the Manipur Government, such as campaigns labelling tribal residents as “encroachers” or “illegal immigrants” to support forced evictions in hill areas.

Additionally, the delegations claimed that administrative boundaries were blurred through orders, including those from June 2011, extending valley police jurisdiction into hill zones. This, they said, left Kuki-Zo areas vulnerable under valley-dominated forces during the 2023 unrest.

On land management, KNO and UPF alleged improper registration of hill properties by valley officials, leading to conflicting claims in numerous villages. Such practices, they contended, breach the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, and diminish the role of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC).

The organisations called for full transfer of policing and land records away from Manipur Government oversight to guarantee fair enforcement and unbiased administration.

Declaring the trust between the Kuki-Zo community and the Manipur state irrevocably broken, the statement noted that protections under Article 371C have proven ineffective, with the HAC often ignored.

“No community can accept governance from authorities that have facilitated their ethnic targeting,” it stated, concluding that a Union Territory with a Legislature offers the only feasible route to achieve justice, safety, stability, and sustained peace.

The joint statement was released by the United People’s Front and the Kuki National Organisation.

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