Manipur crisis political, not security issue, says Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum; seeks President’s Rule

The Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum on October 21 demanded the reimposition of President’s Rule in Manipur, asserting that the prolonged crisis in the state is political rather than a security issue and cannot be resolved merely by deploying additional security forces.

The forum also reiterated its demand for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature, describing the arrangement as essential for the community’s survival and security.

“Our political demand is not merely a political demand. It is a question of our survival. We want to survive,” Ginza Vualzong, a spokesperson for the Kuki-Zo Council, said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Vualzong argued that the Centre’s approach of deploying more security personnel had failed to resolve the crisis over the past three years and called for an accelerated political dialogue.

“The situation in Manipur is not a security issue,” she said, adding that Kuki-Zo civilians had felt safer during President’s Rule.

The spokesperson claimed that 32 members of the community had been killed since the formation of the new government in Manipur and said no lives had been lost in violence during President’s Rule.

The forum maintained that its demand for a separate administration did not amount to seeking separation from India, but was intended to secure a constitutional arrangement that would allow Kuki-Zo people to live with safety and dignity.

The organisation also sought an investigation into alleged attacks attributed to NSCN-IM and alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement with the group, calling for accountability wherever violations were established.

It demanded ex gratia compensation for the families of the 32 people it said had been killed, as well as for those whose houses were burned down in attacks.

The forum alleged that several vulnerable Kuki-Zo villages, including Thawai Kuki, Mullam, Songphel, Loibol, Kultuh, N Teikhang and Chassad, had faced repeated armed attacks and arson.

It specifically cited repeated incidents of arson in Chassad village in Kamjong district and said an attack on October 17 claimed the life of Seikhohao Haokip.

Besides demanding protection for Kuki-Zo villages, the forum called for access to essential medical services and commodities, an end to what it described as “selective” National Investigation Agency operations against civilians, and accountability for alleged atrocities dating back to the 1990s.

The press conference was held under the theme, “Stop the ambushes. Stop the killings. Protect Kuki-Zo civilians.”