Manipur Kuki groups hold their ground on Union Territory demand

GUWAHATI

Two umbrella groups of about 25 armed Kuki outfits have refused to budge from their demand of a Union Territory to be carved out of Manipur for the community.

The two groups — the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and the United People’s Front (UPF) — comprising Kuki, Zomi, and Hmar tribal organisations, had signed the Suspension of Operations agreement with the Centre in 2008. Their representatives reiterated the demand for a Union Territory when they met A.K. Mishra, the Advisor (Northeast) to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, on November 6 and 7.

Also Read | Kuki-Zo groups say as per revised SoO pact future talks with government will focus on UT with legislature

The groups asserted that co-existence (with the Meitei community) under the Manipur State administrative set-up was made impossible after the violent “ethnic cleansing” that began on May 3, 2023.

“Historical justifications were highlighted for the political demand that the Kuki-Zo Hills were never under the control of the Manipur State Durbar before Independence. It was also pointed out that under British rule, the Kuki-Zo lands and other tribal areas were classified as ‘Excluded Areas’ under the Government of India Act, 1935,” the KNO and UPF said in a joint statement on Saturday (November 8, 2025).

“They were administered directly by the British Political Agent, not by the Meitei king. Kuki-Zo governance rested with the traditional chiefs, who exercised complete control over land, justice, and local affairs,” the two groups claimed.

The KNO and UPF said that when the British unified the administration for convenience, dual governance remained intact, with the Imphal Valley under the Meitei king’s rule, and the hills under the British Political Agent. They added that the tribal people had never been organically part of the Manipur State before 1947, administratively, politically, and culturally.

“Given this history, the Kuki-Zo representatives maintained that their demand for Union Territory status with a legislature is rooted in Constitutional and historical legitimacy,” the statement read.

It further stated that the post-merger integration of Manipur in 1949 unfairly absorbed the hill regions into a valley-centric governance structure, disregarding tribal autonomy and traditional rights.

Also Read | Kuki-Zo groups take out protests in Manipur seeking Union Territory

“Government compensated only the Meitei king, not the Kuki-Zo chiefs. Creating a separate administrative unit for the hill tribes within the constitutional framework of India would not be an act of secession, but restoration of our pre-Independence autonomy and a step toward lasting, equitable governance, security, and development within the Indian Union,” the statement said.

The two groups, however, said that Mr. Mishra had conveyed the Centre’s sensitivity to the plight of the Kuki-Zo people, but emphasised the hurdles before the creation of new Union Territories. He also stressed the need for consultations with other communities in Manipur on the issue.