Kuki-Zo, Meetei hold separate protests in Delhi
Source: Chronicle News Service

New Delhi, May 03 2025: Members of Kuki-Zo and Meetei communities held separate demonstrations at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to mark two years since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3,2023.The protests, held in the national capital, highlighted the deep divisions and ongoing grievances that continue to plague the state.

Dressed in black, Kuki-Zo protesters mourned those killed in the violence and reiterated their longstanding demand for a separate Union Territory.

Organised by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and the Kuki-Zo Women's Forum, Delhi (KZWFD), the demonstrators cited displacement, insecurity, and lack of justice as key reasons for their call for a separate administrative setup, "We have been asking the government to give us a solution, let us live a normal life like people in any other state," said Gladdy Vaipay Honjan, a Delhi-based Kuki-Zo activist.

She said the community continues to suffer even after two years, with no justice delivered for the violence, destruction, and mass displacement.

Protesters observed a moment of silence for-the victims and held placards reading, "Freedom's call: Separate administration" and "No justice, no peace".

Meanwhile, dressed in white, Meetei demonstrators gathered under the banner of the Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC), supported by the Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD), Manipur Innovative Youth Organisation Delhi (MAIYOND), and United Kakching Students (UNIKAS).

Their rally, held from 2 to 5 pm, commemorated "coordinated attacks" by Kuki armed groups on Meetei villages on May 3, 2023, which left around 1000 Meetei families homeless, more than 200 dead, arid thousands displaced.

"We are still in felief camps, unable to return home.

We demand justice and a safe resettlement," said R K Khedasana, a Meetei protester originally from Churachandpur.

Speakers at the event included Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Imphal Times editor Kh Rinku, dancer Sharon Lowen, author Agnotos Theos, DMCC convenor Dr Seram Rojesh, and MSAD president Somenanda Khangjrakpam, among others.

They criticised the central government's continued inaction narco-backed Kuki militant groups allegedly responsible for over 400 attacks on Meeteis since the violence began.

"Manipur is under siege," said Dr Rojesh, noting that over 30,000 Meeteis remain in relief camps while illegal poppy cultivation and narco-terrorism flourish.

"This isn't just a failure; this looks like complicity," he added.

Protesters demanded an end to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, dismantling of artificial buffer zones, and unrestricted movement across the state.

They called for the safe return of all internally displaced persons - both Meetei and Kuki - and a decisive crackdown on cross-border terrorism and drug networks.

Criticising the imposition of President's Rule since February 12, the speakers said that it had failed to restore peace or accountability.

In a joint statement, the organising groups urged the Union government to act urgently, warning that the ongoing crisis was eroding trust in the Indian state among its Indigenous communities.

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