Manipur tribal group gives 'self-rule' ultimatum to govt

Prabin Kalita / TNN / Updated: Nov 16, 2023, 10:01 IST

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The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) of the Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur has threatened to establish a self-government if their demand for separate administration is not addressed within two weeks. The ITLF organized a protest to push for a separate administration and to request a probe into the alleged killing of 22 people from the Kuki tribe. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has linked the ethnic strife to a trans-national conspiracy by Indian terrorists based in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Manipur tribal group gives 'self-rule' ultimatum to govt

The ITLF organised the protest in Churachandpur to push for the demand of separate administration

GUWAHATI: The frontal organisation of the Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur, Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), on Wednesday threatened to set up a self-government to administer the Kuki-Zo inhabited areas of the state if the demand for a separate administration is not addressed by the government in the next two weeks.
ITLF general secretary Muan Tombing told the media during a protest in Churachandpur district that they will go ahead with the plan to set up the self-government "whether the Centre recognizes it or not." "It has been over six months and nothing has been done regarding our demand for a separate administration from the Manipur government.So, if our voice is not heard within a couple of weeks, we will set up our self-government," Tombing said.
He added, "As in a state or a Unon Territory, we will set up a self-government that will look into all matters in the Kuki-Zo areas. We have to do this since our voice has not been heard."
Earlier in May, soon after the strife started over the ST demand by the Meiteis, 10 Kuki MLAs, including seven from BJP, first raised the demand for total separation from Manipur by way of a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo areas - a stand which has been the primary point of conflict between the two groups for over six months now.

Protest to press for CBI, NIA probe into Kuki killings
The ITLF organised the protest in Churachandpur on Wednesday to push for the demand of separate administration, and also to request for a probe by the CBI or the NIA into the alleged killing of 22 people of the Kuki tribe. "Many brutal killings of members of the Kuki-Zo community have taken place but the CBI or the central agencies have not taken them up for investigation. This rally is to protest against the atrocities committed against the Kuki-Zo people," ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said.
The NIA, which has started probe into some of the cases of violence, has linked the ethnic strife to a "trans-national conspiracy' hatched by Indian terrorists based out of Myanmar and Bangladesh to wage a war against India.

About the Author

Prabin Kalita

Prabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is currently the Chief of Bureau (northeast). He has been reporting in mainstream Indian national media since 2001. He has been a field journalist reporting gamut of issues from India’s northeastern region and major developments in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh concerning India and northeastern region. He has been covering insurgency—internal and cross-border, politics, natural calamities, environment etc. He is a post-graduate in Geological Sciences from Gauhati University.

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