'Why is GoI soft on Kuki-Chin-Zo terrorists?'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 02 2025: The All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) has asked if the Government of India and Kuki-Zo terrorists had reached a tacit agreement on certain areas/points a few years back.

Revisiting May 3, 2023 which marked the beginning of a violent campaign with a sinister intention to disintegrate Manipur, AMUCO has asserted that the violent crisis has been dragging on for two years because the Government of India has been planning to extract certain benefits out of the crisis That is why, the Government of India has not been taking any tangible action even as hundreds of people have been killed and injured, thousands of houses burnt down and tens of thousands of people forced to live in relief camps, AMUCO asserted in a statement.

It is now a big question whether the multitude of Central security forces deployed in Manipur are here to bring an end to the violence or they are here in pursuit of a secret agenda.

It is time to revisit and introspect unrestrained activities of Kuki-Zo terrorists and the Government of India's response or non-response.

The Government of India knows well the causes of the protracted violence, the origin of Kuki-Zo people and the fact that their demand is illogical and illegitimate.

New Delhi also knows well that the activities of Kuki-Zo terrorists are illegal and unconstitutional, AMUCO said.

Yet, the Government of India has not taken any tangible action against the Kuki-Zo terrorists and there is a big reason for the Government of India's inaction and silence, it said.

Even as Kuki-Zo terrorists committed innumerable horrible crimes and acts of terrorism, the Government of India did not take up any befitting action in time.

In the face of growing international censure and pressure, the Government of India initiated a few steps to bring a solution to the crisis, but Kuki-Zo terrorists, through their CSOs and people, have been sabotaging all these steps of bringing peace.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a bold declaration on March 1, 2025 that there would be free movement on National Highways in Manipur with effect from March 8, 2025.But the same initiative fell flat on March 8 itself.

Amit Shah should have stepped down if he has any moral conscience, AMUCO asserted.

Soon after the imposition of President's Rule in the State, the Meitei youth, heeding to the call of the Governor, surrendered large numbers of arms and ammunition but the Kuki-Zo people openly challenged the Governor's call maintaining that they would not surrender any arms until their demands are fulfilled, it noted.

In spite of the open defiance, the Governor did not take up any concrete action against the armed Kuki-Zo people.

At first, people thought Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla would work hard and sincerely to bring peace in Manipur but it appears he has forgotten that his first and foremost task is bringing an end to the protracted violence.

The activities of security forces under the President's Rule are at the moment restricted to routine combing operations, mostly in the valley areas, AMUCO said.

Both the Government of India and the State Government are focusing on recovering the arms looted from police stations and Government armouries.

A gun is a gun.

It kills people whether it is looted from Government armoury or smuggled from elsewhere.

A large number of weapons, not looted from police stations, police outpotsts or Government armouries, are in the possession of many people.

There is a need to recover or seize all illegally held arms, it said.

But the Government of India and the State Government have not been doing anything to seize or recover the weapons which are in possession of Kuki-Zo terrorists in excess of the figures given in the SoO agreements and smuggled from foreign countries including Myanmar after May 3, 2023, it pointed out.

Even though the Government of India has taken up certain steps to bring a short-term solution, it will be impossible to bring a long term solution until and unless the Kuki-Zo terrorists and their supporters are disarmed completely, AMUCO asserted.

With both the Government of India and the State Government focusing their weapons recovery and seizure drives only in the valley districts, around 80 per cent of the weapons have been recovered from the valley but hardly 10 per cent has been recovered or seized from the hills, it said.

At the initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, AMUCO, FOCS and Kuki-Zo CSOs held a meeting at New Delhi on April 5, 2025.After listening to both the Kuki and Meitei CSOs, the MHA officials drafted a six-point resolution in order to bring a short term solution but the Kuki-Zo CSOs leaders refused to sign the draft resolution, thereby erasing any hope of finding a solution.

At that time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah proudly told the Parliament that Meitei and Kuki-Zo had started talks and the Manipur crisis would be resolved soon, AMUCO noted.

Thus, Amit Shah's declarations and assurances were challenged and reduced to nought by Kuki-Zos repeatedly.

However, despite the repeated and open acts of defiance, the Government of India has not been taking any tangible action against the Kuki-Zos.

The people of Manipur need to study and analyse this reluctance of the Government of India to take any decisive action against the Kuki-Zos and take a firm, collective decision, it added.

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