“Blatant Lie”: 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs Say Never Met Manipur Chief Minister Since May 2023

New Delhi:

The ten Kuki-Zo MLAs in Manipur who’ve been calling for a separate administration carved out of the state in a press release on Monday termed as a “blatant lie” a high authorities lawyer’s submission to the Supreme Court docket that Chief Minister N Biren Singh has been assembly all “Kuki MLAs” in an effort to deliver peace.

In a press release signed by the ten Kuki-Zo MLAs together with Paolienlal Haokip, who’s a fierce critic of Biren Singh, the MLAs stated they got here to know that in a Supreme Court docket listening to on November 8, the Solicitor Basic of India submitted that the “Chief Minister is assembly all Kuki MLAs and [is] making an attempt to deliver the [Manipur] scenario right down to get peace.”

The MLAs stated the highest authorities lawyer’s submission was “a blatant lie and tantamount to deceptive the Supreme Court docket” as they haven’t met the Manipur Chief Minister within the final 18 months – since ethnic violence broke out between the valley-dominant Meitei neighborhood and the Kuki tribes dominant in some hill areas of Manipur.

“We additional make clear that now we have by no means had any assembly with Chief Minister, Shri N Biren Singh since Might 3, 2023, nor have any intention to satisfy him in future as he’s the mastermind behind the violence and ethnic cleaning of our individuals from Imphal valley, which is continuous until as we speak, the newest being the brutal killing and burning of Mrs Zosangkim Hmar on November 7, 2024,” the ten Kuki-Zo MLAs stated within the assertion.

A girl from the Meitei neighborhood, Sapam Sophia Leima, who was working in her low-lying paddy area in Bishnupur district, was additionally shot useless by suspected Kuki militants from the close by foothills on Saturday.

Some Manipur MLAs had visited Delhi in October to attend a gathering known as by the Intelligence Bureau and monitored by Union House Minister Amit Shah. These among the many 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs who attended the assembly had held separate periods with House Ministry officers, and never with the opposite MLAs.

Monday’s assertion from the ten Kuki-Zo MLAs got here after the Supreme Court docket on Friday directed a Kuki organisation to submit materials to point authenticity of some leaked audio clips on the premise of which the organisation had filed a petition in search of a court-monitored particular investigation staff (SIT) probe into the alleged position of the Manipur Chief Minister within the ethnic violence.

The tapes have been submitted to a Fee of Inquiry shaped by the House Ministry.

‘Doctored Tapes To Derail Peace Course of’

The Manipur authorities has known as the purported tapes “doctored” to “derail the peace course of” within the ethnic violence-hit state. A coordinated and focused marketing campaign is happening, with many X (previously Twitter) accounts sharing the “doctored audio” with related captions, the state authorities stated in a press release on August 7.

The Manipur authorities refuted the allegations twice – on August 7 when the Kuki College students Organisation (KSO) launched part of the audio clip, and on August 20, when the information web site The Wire reported in regards to the matter.

“State authorities views such acts of spreading misinformation/disinformation by means of such doctored clips as anti – nationwide actions for chance of inciting hatred and distrust amongst communities, thereby making an attempt intentionally to disturb peaceable co-existence of communities to escalate the present regulation and order points within the state, extra significantly to derail the peace initiatives being began by each state and central governments,” the state authorities stated in one other assertion on August 20.

The internally displaced individuals from each communities in Manipur are but to return dwelling. The Kuki-Zo MLAs and Kuki civil society teams have stated talks usually are not potential except Biren Singh steps down.

Kuki leaders additionally proceed to face agency on a political answer within the type of a separate administration earlier than some other points, together with the return of 1000’s of individuals dwelling in reduction camps, will be mentioned. Meitei leaders have cited this situation to allege that Kuki leaders are engineering an ethnocentric homeland demand; their argument is that talks can go on whereas on the identical time individuals dwelling in troublesome situations within the camps also can return dwelling since no territory is ethnic unique.

The demand for an ethnocentric homeland is untenable and out of date in Manipur, the place not less than 35 communities co-exist, a bunch of activists and lecturers from Manipur had stated at a aspect occasion of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva final month.

Manipur is seeing the expansion of divisive forces that play the playing cards of myopic ethnicity resulting in the undermining of historic and authorized foundations of the state’s pluralistic demography and territoriality, stated Dr Arambam Noni, affiliate professor at Imphal-based DM College.

Dr Noni highlighted what he alleged have been risks of weaponizing ethnicity given that within the identify of “ethnic homelands”, micro tribes within the India-Myanmar border area have been both suppressed or coerced to undergo the dominant ethnic ambitions. He appealed for pressing restoration of normalcy in Manipur.

The clashes between the Meitei neighborhood and almost two dozen tribes often called Kukis – a time period given by the British in colonial instances – has killed over 220 individuals and internally displaced almost 50,000.

The ten Kuki-Zo MLAs, shut to 2 dozen Kuki-Zo armed teams beneath the suspension of operations (SoO) settlement, and teams such because the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Discussion board and the Committee on Tribal Unity, all desire a separate administration carved out of Manipur, bringing them on a standard stage, talking the identical language.