Kuki-Zo groups tell centre reintegration with Manipur not possible, seek Union Territory
Guwahati: Kuki-Zo organisations operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement have categorically informed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that they no longer see any possibility of rejoining Manipur under its present state structure, asserting that a Union Territory with a Legislature is the only workable constitutional arrangement to resolve the crisis.
The groups articulated this position during the second round of tripartite negotiations held in New Delhi, attended by representatives of the MHA, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), the United People’s Front (UPF), and the Manipur Government.
A joint statement released after the meeting said the talks examined land ownership issues, systemic governance failures, and the security and humanitarian conditions in Manipur’s hill districts since the outbreak of violence on May 3, 2023.
Senior leaders from the KNO and UPF led the Kuki-Zo side, while the Centre deputed the Government of India’s Security Advisor for the North East. A senior official represented the Manipur Government at the discussions.
During the meeting, Kuki-Zo leaders reiterated that customary law places tribal land in hill areas under the authority of village chiefs, forming the core of traditional hill governance. They accused successive Manipur governments of weakening these customary institutions through policies that eroded land rights and diluted traditional authority.
The delegations argued that only a Union Territory with a Legislature could provide a neutral, constitutionally consistent governance mechanism capable of protecting indigenous land rights, ensuring impartial administration, and rebuilding public trust.
Terming the situation an existential crisis rather than an administrative disagreement, the Kuki-Zo groups said the complete segregation of communities since May 2023 and the alleged misuse of state machinery against tribal populations have permanently broken relations with the Manipur Government.
“Reintegration under the current state framework is no longer realistic,” the groups stated, citing prevailing ground conditions.
They further claimed that the 2023 violence represented the culmination of decades of policies aimed at dispossessing tribal communities of ancestral land through coercive reforms and political pressure. According to them, only a Union Territory Legislature would possess the authority and neutrality needed to stop this process.
The groups also accused the state government of running a sustained campaign before the violence to label indigenous hill residents as “encroachers” and “illegal immigrants,” which they said paved the way for eviction drives in hill areas. They alleged that executive orders, including those issued in June 2011, expanded the jurisdiction of valley-based police stations into hill regions, leaving Kuki-Zo areas under valley-centric policing during the conflict.
On land administration, the KNO and UPF alleged that sub-registrars from valley districts illegally registered land deeds in hill areas, creating overlapping jurisdictions across hundreds of villages. They said these actions violated the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, and undermined the constitutional role of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC).
The delegations demanded that control over policing and land records be removed entirely from the Manipur Government to ensure unbiased law enforcement and transparent land governance.
Declaring that the social and constitutional compact between the Kuki-Zo people and the Manipur Government has irreversibly collapsed, the groups said safeguards under Article 371C have failed on the ground, with the HAC repeatedly bypassed.
Reaffirming their stand, the KNO and UPF said the creation of a Union Territory with a Legislature remains the only constitutional route to justice, security, stability, and lasting peace.