Kuki members to boycott Centre’s peace committee over Manipur CM Biren Singh’s presence

Most Kuki representatives said they will boycott the Centre’s Manipur peace panel as it included Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his supporters

A day after the Centre constituted a peace committee in Manipur, most Kuki representatives said they will boycott the panel as it included Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his supporters. Pointing out that their consent was not taken before including these members on the panel, they demanded that the Centre make the situation conducive for talks.

On June 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a committee in Manipur to facilitate a peace-making process among various ethnic groups. Governor Anusuiya Uikey will chair the 51-member committee that included Mr. Singh.

Several people who were made members of the panel revealed that they had been added without their consent. One such member, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) president Ajang Khongsai said he would not be able to sit with the Manipur government for peace talks.

“The panel includes COCOMI (Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, a civil society group in Imphal) that has declared war against the Kukis. We want peace but at this critical junction, when violence continues, we cannot hold talks with the Manipur government,” Mr. Khongsai told The Hindu.

A retired Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), J. Lhungdim too said his name was included on the panel without his consent.

“In 2016, I was sent to Russia to finalise an arms deal. After serving the government for 37 years, we are being referred to as foreigners by the Chief Minister. The panel should be led by Central government officials, else it is not going to be fruitful. It is a shame this issue has lingered on for more than a month,” Mr. Lhungdim, who retired in 2020, said.

The panel included former Manipur Director General of Police P. Doungel, who was transferred as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Home — a post created overnight on June 1. Mr. Doungel, a Kuki set to retire this month, has been sidelined since the ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3.