Kuki-Zomi Legislators Request Dedicated DGP Role from PM Modi Amid Ethnic Conflict in Manipur

Ten lawmakers from the Kuki-Zomi tribes of Manipur, including seven from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a ground-breaking memorandum in a landmark effort meant to promote unity and effective government. According to Hindustan Times, this progressive proposal calls for the creation of brand-new administrative positions, comparable to the prestigious Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) positions, that are solely responsible for guiding the progress of the five hill districts home to their tribal communities.

The growing ethnic tensions in Manipur, where the Kuki tribes, who predominate in the hill areas, have traditionally fought with the Meiteis, who rule the Imphal Valley, provide the context for this innovative endeavor. Over 50,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as a consequence of the unrest, which sadly caused the deaths of close to 160 people and damaged the administrative and police systems on a community-by-community basis.

 

Initially supporting an independent administrative body for the Kuki people, the lawmakers have changed their stance to emphasize the urgent need for specifically designated top administrative roles. This change is brought about by the horrifying knowledge that Imphal, the state capital, has turned into a hotbed of unrest and devastation for the Kuki-Zo population.

 

The legislators elaborated in their thorough three-page memorandum that “Even IAS, MCS, IPS, and MPS officers from our communities find themselves impeded in their duties due to the adversities in Imphal Valley, which regrettably has turned into a valley of sorrow for us.” They did this by highlighting the dire situation faced by even esteemed officers from the Kuki-Zo tribes.

 

The lawmakers are sincerely pleading for the rapid formation of offices analogous to the Chief Secretary and DGP in order to solve these urgent concerns and create the best possible administrative environment for their people. They claim that this progressive move is essential to both improving the plight of government workers from the Kuki-Zo tribes and effectively administering the areas they live in.

 

The document also includes a broad viewpoint that emphasizes the need for the creation of important senior-level positions in both the civil and police sectors, underlining the pursuit of public welfare.

 

The legislators have also pleaded with the Prime Minister to set aside 500 crores from the PM’s Relief Fund to support the rehabilitation efforts aimed at improving the lives of Kuki-Zo people who have been displaced from their homes and sources of income as a result of the tragic clashes in a show of solidarity with their affected communities.

 

The effects of these battles have been severe; a large number of Kuki people of Imphal Valley have fled to the nearby hill districts, while Meitei residents of those areas have sought safety inside the valley. The fact that 50,000 people from both groups are now living in relief camps is a sign of how urgently society needs to come together and heal.

 

Tragically, the racial tensions have even affected the administration and the police, resulting in pronounced ethnic isolation and separation. Strict checkpoints and impenetrable blockades, controlled by determined women and “defence volunteers,” have appeared as a clear symbol of this split, obstructing any cross-community mobility and emphasizing the significant socioeconomic gap.

 

In the Imphal Valley, the lawmakers’ memorandum painfully identifies incidents of targeted violence against members of their community. Vungzagin Valte, an ardent BJP MLA who represents the Kuki group, was brutally attacked by a crowd on May 4 as he was returning home after a meeting with the chief minister, N Biren Singh. The issue was further aggravated on June 14 when a malicious crowd set fire to Nemcha Kipgen’s home in Lamphel, part of the Imphal West district. Kipgen is the only female minister in the state government.