Fresh talks between the two umbrella outfits of Kuki-Zo rebel groups under suspension of operation (SoO) in strife-hit Manipur and the Union home ministry on November 6-7 focused on their core demand for a Union territory (UT) with a legislative Assembly, the groups said in a joint statement on Saturday.

The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), spearheading the demand for a separate Kuki-Zo administration, said they presented “historical justifications” for their claim, arguing that the Kuki-Zo Hills were never under the Manipur State Durbar’s control before Independence.

They added that the 1949 merger of Manipur with India “unfairly absorbed the hill regions,” disregarding tribal autonomy and compensating only the Meitei king, not the Kuki-Zo chiefs.

The talks were led by senior leaders of KNO and UPF. The Union home ministry was represented by A.K. Mishra, adviser (Northeast).

The groups said that under British rule, Kuki-Zo lands were designated “excluded areas” under the Government of India Act, 1935. “Kuki-Zo governance rested with traditional chiefs, who exercised full control over land, justice and local affairs,” the statement said.

They argued that creating a separate administrative unit for hill tribes within the Indian constitutional framework would ensure “lasting equitable governance....”

According to the statement, Mishra told leaders that while the Centre was sensitive to their plight, its “current policy does not support creation of new Union territories” and emphasised consultations with other communities.

The KNO and UPF asserted that “coexistence under Manipur’s current set-up is no longer possible” after ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, that left 260 dead and over
60,000 displaced.