Manipur: First tripartite talks between Meitei, Kuki-Zo, MHA in Delhi tomorrow
In a significant development, leading organisations of Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities will hold a tripartite meeting with officials of the MHA
- IMPHAL — In a
significant development, leading organisations of Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar
communities will hold a tripartite meeting with officials of the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Saturday, officials and leaders said here on
Friday.
-
- Saturday’s meeting will be the first such tripartite meeting
after ethnic riots broke out 23 months ago between the non-tribal Meitei and
tribal Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities over the tribal status demand of the Meiteis.
-
- Though Manipur government officials confirmed Saturday’s
first meeting in the national Capital, they refused to disclose the agenda of
the tripartite meet.
-
- Leaders of the Kuki and Meitei communities separately said
that MHA advisor for the northeast region, A.K. Mishra, invited the leaders of
the organisations of both the communities.
-
- Mishra last month held separate meetings with various
organisations of the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo in Manipur.
-
- Last year also the MHA tried to hold a tripartite meeting
with the leaders of the two communities but the tribal organisations (Kuki-Zo)
refused to meet the Meitei leaders.
-
- Leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a conglomerate of 13
organisations of the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, held a meeting with
senior officials of the MHA in New Delhi on January 17 and discussed their
demands and the prevailing situation in the northeastern state.
-
- The four-member delegation of the KZC, led by its Chairman
Henlianthang Thanglet, met A.K. Mishra and Joint Director, MHA, Rajesh Kamble.
-
- Both the MHA officials and the KZC leaders did not share the
details of the discussions with the media.
-
- The KZC and 10 tribal MLAs have been demanding a separate
administration equivalent to a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar
tribal-dominated areas.
-
- The Meitei organisations have been demanding steps against
militants, the drug menace, infiltrators from Myanmar and introduction of the
National Register of Citizens (NRC).
-
- Over 250 people have been killed and over 1,500 people
injured in the ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo people since
May 3, 2023.
-
- More than 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes
and villages and are now staying in relief camps in different districts for the
past 23 months.
