Sanctity Of Buffer Zones Paramount - CoTU Warns It Cannot Guarantee Valley Entry Into Hill Areas

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has set the record straight on its unequivocal stand regarding the maintenance of the sanctity of buffer zones, asserting that these zones remain the only effective mechanism for protection against physical atrocities and the systematic desecration of constitutional provisions safeguarding tribals in the hill areas.

In a strongly worded communiqué, CoTU stated that the Kuki-Zo community bore the brunt of hatred and violence since May 3, 2023, which, it alleged, eventually led to mass eviction from the Imphal Valley by radicalised Meitei mobs and what it termed a biased state administration once headed by former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. The statement also referred to Leishemba Sanajaoba, Titular King of Manipur and Member of Parliament, in the broader political context of the conflict.

The Committee further described the reinstallation of a popular government in the troubled state under the current dispensation of the BJP-led central leadership headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “short-sighted political discourse” driven by electoral considerations, allegedly overlooking the political, economic and security concerns of the minority Kuki-Zo community.

According to the Committee, elected Kuki-Zo MLAs joined their valley-based counterparts in facilitating the reinstallation of the popular government out of political decency, despite deep reservations and suspicions among the Kuki-Zo populace. The statement also alluded to valley-based MLAs who, it claimed, had sworn allegiance to the armed militia group Arambai Tenggol in early 2024 during the ensuing conflict.

CoTU reminded Kuki-Zo elected representatives that they have placed not only their credibility but also their political fate in the hands of the present Union leadership, expecting an eventual and meaningful political settlement.

Reiterating its long-standing demand, the Committee asserted that unless the Government of India resolves to find a long-term political solution for the minority Kuki-Zo community in the form of a Union Territory with Legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution of India, any forced political reconciliation between the two warring communities — the Kuki-Zo in the hills and the Meitei in the valley — cannot be construed as genuine normalcy.

The Committee stated that neither it nor any civil organisation can be held responsible for providing safe passage or guaranteeing safe throughfare for members of the Imphal Valley community, regardless of any individuals or political stature, within Kuki-Zo-dominated areas, particularly Sadar Hills Kangpokpi, alleging that the mass violence and displacement of the Kuki-Zo community from the Imphal Valley remain unaddressed.

The communiqué underscores the continuing volatility in Manipur and signals that without a constitutional and political resolution acceptable to the Kuki-Zo community, peace in the state will remain fragile and contested.