Sadar Hills: KSO pleas for sanity
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 18 2011: The Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) has appealed to all sections of the society not to view the Sadar Hills district issue in communal perspectives.

In a press release, the KSO stated that any issue concerning the political aspiration of a community no matter how legitimate or genuine the case might be, should not be granted without the consent and prior approval of the Kukis.

In the context of Manipur, it is imperative that the Union Government/the State Government should always bear in mind the three major demographical groupings of the State, Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis.

Since the hill districts of the state are inhabited by two major tribal communities, authorities concerned should not take any decision in haste.

A hasty decision taken with an apparent bid to appease one community or the other would only be counter-productive, the KSO cautioned.

Saying that the Nagas and Kukis have always been living together in contagious & over-lapping areas in most hill districts of Manipur, the student body asserted that any solution for the political grievances of one should not be at the expense of the other.

"The Kukis have no qualms in the UNC's demand for "Alternative Arrangement" for Nagas within the state of Manipur; provided the Alternative Arrangement does not impinge upon the traditional lands of the Kukis and due respect is duly accorded to the Kukis' customs, land rights and traditions", it said.

The Kukis always respected the aspirations of the Nagas, and had not made any negative comments/remarks on any movement launched by Naga social organisations.

The KSO also appealed to the Nagas not to communalize the Sadar Hills issue.

Pointing out that the Sadar Hills District demand is an issue which has spanned decades and is limited only to contagious geographical areas, the KSO said that it should not be an issue between Kukis and Nagas.

"Any attempt to communalize the issue is truly unfortunate and bereft of logic", the KSO said.

The demand for upgradation of Sadar Hills to a full fledged district is only for administrative convenience.

Even if the demand is granted, the benefits and privileges that a full-fledged district entails would accrue not only to the Kukis alone, but to all those who reside in Sadar Hills area.

"The Kukis and Nagas should never forget that their destiny are inter-linked/entwined by fate or by an act of providence; and they both should be on guard, lest the Kukis and Nagas become mere pawns in the hands of some powerful vested interest", it added.

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