Imphal, Sep 5 (PTI) Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel on Friday said that agreements signed with Kuki-Zo groups will be honoured, while asserting that the government was making all efforts to restore normalcy in the ethnic strife-torn state.
Two prominent Kuki-Zo armed groups on Thursday signed a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the government on re-negotiated terms and conditions under which they agreed on maintaining territorial integrity of Manipur, relocating designated camps away from vulnerable areas and working for a solution to bring lasting peace and stability in the state.
Besides, civil society group Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), following a a series of meetings in New Delhi between its representatives and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, decided to “reopen” the Dimapur-Imphal National Highway-2 for free movement of commuters and essential goods. It also gave a commitment to cooperate with central security forces to maintain peace along the road, officials said.
Meitei body COCOMI protested the signing of the SoO agreement, while Kuki-Zo organisations condemned the KZC for taking the decision to reopen the highway “unilaterally” without consulting other stakeholders.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Teachers’ Day function in Imphal, Goel said, “The government is making all efforts to bring back normalcy in Manipur. Everything is on the paper… whatever agreement has been signed will be honoured.” KZC’s decision, however, has been condemned by several Kuki civil rights and armed organisations that iterated that “Meiteis will not be allowed to enter Kuki-majority areas”.
The Village Volunteers Co-ordination Committee (Eastern, Southern and Western Zone) condemned the “unilateral decision” of KZC and claimed it was taken “without any consultation with the general public or the primary stakeholders directly affected by the ongoing conflict”.
“There shall be no free movement for the Meitei community within the Kuki-Zo territories until a separate administrative arrangement for the Kuki-Zo people is granted,” it said.
Militant outfit United Kuki National Army (UKNA) also expressed strong resentment over KZC’s decision.
UKNA, a non-signatory to SoO pact, said no discussion and peace agreement should be signed till the demands for separate administration are met.
The outfit also gave a five-day ultimatum to the KZC leaders seeking an explanation, failing which it warned it will “take its own course of action”.
KZC, however, asserted that the question of “reopening” NH-2 does not arise, as the road was never closed or blocked, and cautioned that its decision must not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of unrestricted or free movement across the Meitei and Kuki areas.
On the other hand, Imphal Valley-based Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of civil society organisations, voiced its opposition to the Centre’s decision to extend the SoO agreement with the Kuki-Zo armed groups and termed it an “anti-people move”.
In a statement, it said, “The extension of the SoO agreement despite the series of terrorist and criminal acts committed by these groups is a decision that runs completely against the interests of the indigenous people of Manipur. COCOMI reaffirms its stand to firmly oppose this anti-people move of the Government of India.” COCOMO said that the Manipur government, in a cabinet decision on March 10, 2023, had unanimously resolved to abrogate the SoO agreement, and accused the Centre of willfully disregarding it.
Claiming that the current state administration is being run by an authority appointed by New Delhi, and lacks the legitimacy to represent the people of Manipur, COCOMI said, “The decision to extend SoO under such circumstances is illegitimate and reflects an undemocratic and hegemonic imposition upon the indigenous people and its elected representatives of Manipur.” On free movement along the national highways, COCOMI said, “The Constitution guarantees free movement to every citizen across the country as a fundamental right. However, by turning this into a bargaining chip with armed narco-terrorist groups, the Centre has undermined its own constitutional obligations.” “COCOMI strongly rejects the Government of India’s extension of the SoO agreement and the decision will be viewed as an act of legitimising narco-terrorist operations, granting them impunity under a deceptive pact, while undermining the rights, security, and future of the indigenous people of Manipur,” it added.
Officials, however, said that the signing of the SoO agreement with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) on Thursday is set to have a positive impact on peace efforts in Manipur.
The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur next week, the first since ethnic violence broke out between the Meiteis and Kukis in May 2023, claiming over 260 lives and rendering thousands homeless. However, there has been relative peace in Manipur in the last few months.
Meanwhile, Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR), in a statement, said it will hold a public rally in the Churachandpur district headquarters from 11.30 am on Saturday to demand justice for the killings of community members during the ethnic strife in the state.
The rally will start from Koite Playground and end at the Wall of Remembrance at Tuibong, covering a distance of nearly 6.5 km, it said. PTI COR ACD
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