The Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO), Delhi and NCR, has voiced strong opposition to the current Manipur government, citing a lack of legitimacy and demanding a separate administration for Kuki-Zo people amid ongoing ethnic tensions and displacement.
Kuki organizations are demanding justice after a Kuki woman from Manipur died from an illness allegedly linked to the trauma she suffered after being gang-raped in 2023. They allege government inaction and demand an independent probe.
It said all necessary security arrangements would be made to ensure the security of people attending the Shirui festival.
The shutdown was called by Kuki-Zo groups, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), in protest against Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh's statement about militants entering the state from outside.
The Kuki-Zo Council called for a 13-hour shutdown in Manipur's hill areas on Tuesday, demanding an investigation into the death of 11 people in a clash with security forces in Jiribam. The shutdown, which began at 5 am, saw schools, markets, and public transport remain closed. Various Kuki-Zo organizations, including the Kuki Students' Organisation, the Zomi Students' Federation, and the Hmar Students' Association, demanded a probe into the incident, accusing the Central Reserve Police Force of "treacherous murder." The Hmar Village Volunteers, who were identified by the Kuki-Zo groups as the victims, condemned the incident and called for intervention from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Representatives from Kuki-Zo communities said their demands have crossed the point where they wanted President's rule to be imposed in the state, and now they see a Union Territory with legislature on the lines of Puducherry carved out of Manipur as the only solution to the ongoing strife.
All marketplaces in the town were deserted and attendance in government and private offices was nil. Schools and colleges also remained shut, officials said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a review meeting in Moreh town of Manipur on Wednesday to take stock of the security situation in the northeastern state which has been witnessing sporadic violence for nearly a month.
Living separately and refusing to co-exist in future, many members of both Kukis and Meitis communities ask - why elections at this time and what difference will they make?
Security forces fired several rounds in the air to disperse the mob, officials said.
Most of the Kuki MLAs irrespective of their party affiliations are unlikely to attend the Manipur assembly session slated to be called from August 21 in view of the continued ethnic violence, according to leaders from the community.
The spark for the raging violence was lit by demonstrations by tribal groups against a move to grant the majority Meiteis the Scheduled Tribe status, which the residents of the hills had been enjoying for decades since Independence.
He also held another meeting with a delegation of civil society organisations as part of his outreach and they expressed their commitment to peace and assured that they would work for restoring normalcy in Manipur.
The indefinite economic blockade called by two student bodies to demand that 7000 students be allowed to appear in the Class-X Manipur board exam began from midnight Thursday night along Imphal-Moreh National Highway, affecting movement of vehicles carrying goods.
Shops, markets and business establishments were closed while very thin attendance was reported in government offices due to the 24-hour strike called by the Kuki Students Organisation.
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