After fresh killings, Kuki-Zo people in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi take to streets

Protests erupted across Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts and in New Delhi by Kuki-Zo people after two “village volunteers” from the community were killed in firing near Kangpokpi district.

Protests erupted across Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts and in New Delhi by Kuki-Zo people after two “village volunteers” from the community were killed in firing near Kangpokpi district on Saturday. This comes even as a Kuki students’ body in Delhi NCR wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that the latter’s visit to Manipur was “a must” now and that Mr. Shah must promise the Kuki-Zo people in writing to settle the conflict once and for all.

The violence came after a lull of over a month and days ahead of polls in the State, jolting the Kuki-Zo community to take to the streets in both Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. Throughout the last week, as political parties in the State found covert ways to campaign in light of the conflict, voters in both constituencies expressed no enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on April 19 and 26.

The violence and the protests come amid reports that Home Minister Amit Shah was to visit Imphal for campaigning.

Meanwhile, a group of Kuki-Zo women, including journalists, social workers, former MP of Outer Manipur Kim Gangte and leaders of Kuki-Zomi-Hmar women’s forums in Delhi, have written to the Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar, informing him of their decision, as representatives of the “Global Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Women community”, to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In their letter, the women said, “With a heavy heart we would like to inform you of the decision of the women in our community to exercise their constitutional and legal right to boycott the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This decision does not come lightly, but as a culmination of their disillusionment and lack of trust in the current administrations, both at the national and state levels.”

In Churachandpur’s Motbung area, Kuki-Zo civil society organisations and apex tribe bodies held a march, where thousands of people showed up with posters and banners, one of which read: “Protest against the inhuman killing of two village volunteers.”

The Committee on Tribal Unity, meanwhile, issued a statement calling for a day-long shutdown across Kangpokpi district and the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) in Churachandpur has called for a candle-light vigil near the “Wall of Remembrance” at the playground opposite the DC office in the district.