Kukis say CM Biren Singh ‘opening a new front’, ‘may escalate conflict’, as govt suggests rethink on ST status

Already, Meitei-majority Manipur govt overtly and covertly supports Meiteis in current ethnic conflict: Kuki group in Churachandpur

On Tuesday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had said that the government may consider setting up a committee to discuss the ST status of Kukis in the state. (X/ NBirenSingh)

The suggestion that the government could review the Scheduled Tribes status of Kukis in Manipur has drawn strong reactions from the Kuki-Zomi organisations in the state, including a threat that attempts to “use the State machinery to target” the community will further escalate the conflict.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had said that the government may consider setting up a committee to discuss the ST status of Kukis in the state. This was in response to queries on a representation made to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs by the Meitei leader of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), Maheshwar Thounaojam, for the exclusion of Kukis from the state’s ST list, on the grounds that “they are not original inhabitants of Manipur”. The representation had been forwarded by the Ministry to the state government, stating that the state government’s recommendation was a prerequisite to process any such proposal.

Also read | Manipur ST row may get a new life: CM suggests could set up panel to consider Kuki status

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zomi organisation based in Churachandpur, lashed out at the CM for “opening a new front” in the ongoing conflict. “It is no secret that the state government in Manipur, controlled by the majority Meitei community, overtly and covertly supports the Meiteis in the current ethnic conflict. The communal Biren Singh administration has now opened a new front by pushing for the removal of the Kuki-Zo community from India’s ST list,” read a statement issued by the ITLF on Wednesday.

“Any further attempts by Biren Singh to use the State machinery to target the Kuki-Zo community will only escalate the conflict, which will ultimately be detrimental to him and the state,” it added.

Kuki Inpi – the apex body of Kuki tribes in Manipur – said attempts to “alter the ST status of the community” should be immediately ceased. “Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills vehemently condemns any attempt to erase the Kuki community from Scheduled Tribe status, as it blatantly violates the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Such actions not only undermine the Constitutional safeguards provided to tribal communities but also perpetuate injustice and discrimination,” a statement issued by it said.

The immediate trigger for the current round of the Manipur conflict, which began in early May, was a High Court order submitting that the government could consider ST status for Meiteis. This was opposed by the Kukis, who see a dilution of their privileges if the ST bracket is extended to the Meiteis, who are politically and numerically dominant in the state.