Manipur: ITLF-MHA Second Meeting Addresses Burial Site Conflict Between Kuki and Meitei Communities

New Delhi: On November 9 (Thursday), the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) met with the members of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in Manipur.

The meeting's objective was to evaluate the previous session with the Union home minister on August 8 in New Delhi, which had focused on the burial site issue between the Meitei and Kuki communities.

The burial issue goes back to August 3, when members of the Kuki community sought to bury their fellow members, who had been killed since the violence began on May 3, in an open field in S. Boljang village, which, as per their claim, falls within the Churachandpur district.

However, the Meiteis said that the area belonged to the Meitei-dominating Bishnupur district.

The announcement of a burial by the Kuki-Zo community on August 3 heightened tensions at the border, resulting in hundreds of men from both communities gathering at the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs intervened.

This is the second meeting between ITLF and MHA. As earlier mentioned, the first meeting happened on August 8 in New Delhi.

The following issues were discussed in the meeting:

- ITLF addressed the breach of their agreement regarding the State commando in Moreh. It emphasised the need for the complete removal of state forces from hill areas. Although the ministry asserted the inability to entirely withdraw state forces, a commitment was made to prevent independent state force actions in hill areas. Acknowledging a lapse in Moreh, the government assured that such incidents would be avoided in the future.

- In terms of political demands, interlocutor A.K. Mishra highlighted the Suspension of Operations (SoO) group's pending demands awaiting government approval.

In Manipur, there are around 30 Kuki insurgent groups, with 25 engaged in a tripartite SoO with the Government of India and the state. Among them, 17 fall under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and eight are part of the United People’s Front (UPF). The SoO pact, initiated on August 22, 2008, aims to facilitate political dialogue.

Originally advocating for a separate Kuki state, the groups have now scaled down their demands to a Union territory with its own legislature which will have financial and administrative autonomy from the Manipur Assembly and government.

- Mishra also urged ITLF to refrain from resorting to violent means. While ITLF leaders expressed their desire for peace, they emphasised the need to defend themselves when provoked.

- ITLF also raised concerns about selective justice by the National Investigative Agency and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying that some gruesome cases were not taken up by CBI.

However, the government assured that justice would be pursued in these cases with the CBI and NIA.

- ITLF expressed gratitude for the release and transfer of minor cases among jail inmates. It urged the government to expedite the process for the remaining inmates.

- It voiced concerns about the thousands of looted arms in civilian hands. To this, MHA leaders assured efforts to collect these arms and emphasised on the need for a similar initiative in Churachandpur.

However, the meeting reached a deadlock, but there are plans to reconvene the meeting tomorrow (November 10).

So far in Manipur, violence has persisted for over six months, and more than 200 people have lost their lives in the state.

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