Kuki Zo Council questions Census deferral , calls for re imposition of President's Rule

The Kuki Zo Council has called for reimposition of President's Rule in Manipur while alleging that the present government has failed to provide the Kuki-Zo with the security and confidence necessary for peaceful coexistence.

"Our people felt safer under President's Rule than under the present State Government. If the State Government cannot protect its citizens, the Centre must act", Kuki Zo Council said in a release issued on Tuesday.

Kuki Zo Council questions the decision of the Government of India taken on Monday to defer the Census exercise in Manipur based on demands raised by selected civil society organisations while completely ignoring the voice and concerns of the Kuki-Zo people.

According to the Chief Minister's Secretariat, the decision followed a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. The meeting considered the demand for "No Census Before NRC" raised by 14 civil society organisations representing the Meitei and Naga communities.

However, not a single Kuki-Zo organisation was part of this demand. Yet, the decision was justified in the name of the "feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur, the release stated.

The council stated that the political exclusion of the Kuki-Zo, coupled with the presence of N. Biren Singh in the meeting-who is responsible for the ethnic violence against Kuki Zo people raises serious questions about the impartiality of the deliberation.

After what the Kuki-Zo have endured since May 2023 at the hands of the Meiteis, coupled with the renewed ethnic violence involving the Naga of Manipur, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Kuki-Zo cannot expect justice, security or dignity within the present political arrangement in Manipur.

The Kuki-Zo have therefore been compelled to seek a political arrangement that guarantees our security, dignity, land and identity, stated the release.

The Kuki Zo people had hoped that the change of government in Manipur would bring security and normalcy. Instead, attacks and killings continue stated KZC while adding that the present government has failed to provide the Kuki-Zo with the security and confidence necessary for peaceful coexistence.

"Kuki-Zo will not accept decisions made about us without us. Our voice must be heard, our rights must be protected, and our political aspirations must be addressed. No decision concerning the future of the Kuki-Zo can be legitimate when the Kuki-Zo themselves are excluded from the process," the release added.