The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes, on Saturday marked what it called the “3rd Separation Day – A Day of Total Separation with the Meities,” citing three years of “untold suffering” since May 3, 2023.
In a press statement issued from its secretariat in Lamka, the organization said it was remembering “the sacrifices of our fallen Martyrs” and celebrating “the courage and resilience” of the Kuki-Zo people. The statement alleged a “continued pattern of systemic discrimination, selective action, and institutional bias under the Manipur State Government.”
KIM pointed to the recent arrest of Otkhothang Baite, a former Chairman of Canan Veng (HTC Unit-XI) from Tengnoupal District, which it described as “arbitrary” and “based on questionable inputs and FIRs.” The statement said the arrest “has sparked widespread concern among the Kuki-Zo people” and alleged that “many individuals accused of grave violence against the Kuki-Zo people continue to evade accountability.”
According to the statement, “countless Kuki-Zo victims have continued to live with deep and lasting trauma” since May 2023, with many still displaced and “deprived of stability, livelihood, and basic human dignity.” It said the crisis has impacted “every aspect of the lives of the Kuki-Zo people – social, economic, and psychological.”
The organization urged the Government of India to “acknowledge the harsh realities on the ground and take decisive, accountable steps toward a just and equitable solution.” It reiterated its “long-standing demand for the creation of a Union Territory with Legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution of India,” stating that the “present arrangement is neither sustainable nor just.”
KIM called upon the Kuki-Zo people to “stand united, strengthen our collective resolve, and remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice,” and to “remain vigilant against any effort that seeks to fracture our unity.”
