No headway as Kukis insist on ‘Separate State’

NEW DELHI, Mar 13
With the body of a youth kill-ed in Manipur’s Kuki-domi- nated Kangpokpi on March 8 finally handed over to his family, authorities there said Wednesday they expect protests and blockade in the district to end soon.
However, the road to lasting peace in the restive State may be a long way off. Ongoing talks between the Kuki-Zo community and Centre’s interlocutor AK Mishra are unlikely to make much headway with the former sticking to its demand for a “separate hill State” after hiving off Meitei-dominated Valley areas.
Govt also does not seem keen to concede to the Kuki demand for a separate administrative framework for the tribal-dominated hilly regions either, recognising that it can fuel the demand for a separate State, besides giving fillip to separatist tendencies in the strategically crucial border State.
Still, efforts would be to stay engaged with both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, while tactfully persuading the latter to settle for a solution within the four corners of the Constitution, including granting them more autonomy and preserving their unique culture, heritage and language.
Sources said the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of Kangpokpi had been engaging with Kuki-Zo protestors over the past few days to persuade them to accept the body of the local killed during protests on March 8, amid clashes between them and security forces.
The killing had triggered further tension with Kuki-Zo protestors ordering a shutdown, apart from blocking roads and stopping the movement of vehicles. “The blockade call was given for all areas with a significant Kuki-Zo population. But its effect was seen largely in Kangpokpi. However, the talks between the local administration and community representatives have made headway, with the family of the deceased protester taking back his body for last rites,” said a Manipur Govt functionary.
A senior Manipur police functionary shared that a total 4,500 weapons, including those looted after ethnic violence broke out in Mani-pur in May 2023, were now back with police. Of these, around 1,050 were surrendered by rebels in response to a call given by Governor Ajay Bhalla.
“The remaining weapons were recovered in raids and searches undertaken over time by police and security forces. These raids shall continue, now that the deadline set by the Governor to voluntarily surrender weapons has ended,” said the functionary. TNN