The Kuki Zo Council (KZC) which recently met the Centre has denied allowing free movement on National Highway-2. The KZC's announcement has created confusion since the Centre had in a statement said the "KZC decided to open National Highway-2 for the free movement of commuters and essential goods."
The KZC was part of a meeting with Home Ministry officials in Delhi just before the Centre announced the extension of the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with two dozen insurgent groups.
The KZC in a statement on Monday said no Meitei or Kuki should cross the "buffer zone" under any circumstances, as there is "still no settlement or agreement to the conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities."
Responding to the KZC, the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) in a statement said the highway belongs to the central government and that its obstruction constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.
"TIM urges members of the Thadou community to refrain from any form of mob mobilisation, rioting, or highway blockade along NH-2. The organisation also calls upon the community not to relate rioting and damaging public property with any kind of political stance and avoid being influenced by provocative messages circulating on social media," TIM said.
Meitei organisations have also said the fundamental right to free movement provided by the Constitution is being dictated by insurgents and private organisations, not enforced by the government. The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) had in a statement said the Home Ministry's claim was misleading as it was contradicted by the official statement issued by Chin Kuki insurgents that signed the SoO agreement.
"It suggests that the authority to open or close National Highways in Manipur lies with a private organisation and not with the Indian State. The fundamental right to free movement provided by the Constitution will be dictated by insurgents and private organisations, not enforced by the Indian State. This is both embarrassing and unacceptable," the MHS said, and asked the Home Ministry to clarify on the matter.
On Monday, the KZC reiterated its earlier clarification on the matter, saying they have not declared the reopening of NH-2 or allowed free movement.
"Our request was only to the people of Kangpokpi to extend cooperation to the security forces, as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in maintaining the safety of commuters along NH-2," it said on Monday.
"KZC warns that the buffer zone is to be respected at all costs. Any violation will only lead to serious consequences and further deterioration of peace and security..." the Churachandpur-based group said.
In a joint statement backing the KZC last week, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF)-the two umbrella bodies of 24 insurgent groups under the SoO agreement-said the KZC's free movement appeal was specifically confined to the Kangpokpi stretch and aimed at encouraging cooperation with central security forces to ensure safe passage of essential goods.
The Thadou Inpi Manipur today said since the SoO agreement has been renegotiated, all the signatory groups are expected to abide by its terms, avoiding participation in or instigation of highway blockades.
"Thadou Inpi Manipur appeals to all community members to maintain peace, respect constitutional principles, and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of NH-2 for the benefit of all..." TIM said in a statement on Monday.
The Thadou tribe's key organisations in Assam and neighbouring Manipur allege they have been pushing back against "Kuki supremacists" who want to put the Thadou-a distinct tribe with their own language and culture-forcibly under the Kuki nomenclature to steal their language and other cultural capital.
The valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 260 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.
