In a massive display of unity and solidarity, thousands of people from diverse communities and age groups gathered in Imphal, Manipur’s capital, today to rally for the preservation of the state’s territorial and administrative integrity.
Organized by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of civil society groups, the rally spanned nearly 5 kilometers through the heart of Imphal valley. Participants, including elderly women from the institution of Meira Paibi (torchbearers), passionately voiced slogans advocating unity and safeguarding the indigenous population.
Carrying posters and banners with messages such as “save indigenous and rightful citizens of India,” “no separate administration,” and “save territorial integrity of Manipur,” the rally emphasized the community’s concerns and demands.
The demonstrators presented a unified front, except for segments of the Kuki tribes advocating for a separate territory along the Myanmar and Mizoram borders. They articulated six key demands to the central government:
- Conducting the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise
- Scrapping agreements with Kuki insurgent groups
- Equalizing combing operations across both the valley and hill regions
- Protecting Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity
- Removing designated buffer zones hindering residents’ return
- Halting policies perceived as detrimental to Manipur’s indigenous people
“We are not against any community. Our concern lies with the policies of the Centre,” expressed a rally participant. “We reject any policies that threaten the existence of Manipur’s indigenous people. We seek peace, not division.”
The rally highlighted ongoing tensions between the Meitei community, dominant in the valley, and the Kuki tribes, predominant in the hills. The Meiteis aspire for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, citing historical and cultural ties. Meanwhile, Kuki groups advocate for a separate administration, known as “Kukiland,” arguing it would provide a homeland for their dispersed communities with ethnic links to neighboring Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin State.
The demand for a separate administration has garnered support from Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, and various civil society organizations, underscoring a broad-based alignment on this issue despite historical tensions.
Sources By Agencies
