After Manipur government order, Kukis and Meiteis stick to their regions while rejoining work

The Manipur government’s No work, No pay order, issued to nudge government and police officials to report for duty, has led to the Kukis joining work in hill districts and the Meiteis in valley districts 

The Manipur government on June 26 invoked a “No work, No pay” order for all government employees who remained away from work without “authorised leave” due to the “prevailing situation in the State”.

On May 3, ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo and non-tribal Meitei communities erupted in Manipur that has claimed more than 140 lives and displaced more than 54,000 people so far.

The order, though issued to nudge government and police officials to report for duty, has led to members of the Kuki community joining work in the hill districts, while those from the Meitei community have joined in the valley districts. 

Since most of the government offices are in the Meitei-dominated valley districts, the Kuki-Zo employees have refused to comply with the conditions fearing for their safety. This has also led to the exclusion of the tribal community from decision-making in governance issues.

The Kuki-Zo MLAs, including seven from the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), have demanded separate administration. None of them were present when Chief Minister N. Biren Singh held a meeting on July 13 with “Minsiters and MLAs to deliberate the way forward to bring normalcy in the State”.

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A senior government official said to tide over the crisis, they are encouraging the Kuki-Zo employees to register their attendance at the government offices in the hills. Another official said that following several petitions, the State government tweaked the order allowing the communities to work per their preference.