Take State Troops Out of the Hills and Re-Impose AFSPA: Important Kuki-Zo Group To The Center

Imphal, Manipur: In a state beset by violence, the influential Kuki-Zo factions in Manipur have pushed the Center to withdraw state police personnel from the hills and reinstate the strict Armed Personnel (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, in valley regions. Home Minister Amit Shah has been urged to withdraw state forces from the border town of Moreh and implement the contentious AFSPA in the valley region by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), which had called for a 24-hour shutdown until Wednesday midnight in areas where the Kuki tribes predominate.

In the wee hours of this morning, the CoTU Sadar Hills and ITLF Churachandpur declared a 24-hour complete closure. In order to express disapproval of the claimed crimes committed by the state troops and to demand their expulsion from all of Manipur’s Kuki-Zo districts, a shutdown was put in place.

The Center was requested by the two leading Kuki-Zo tribal groups to evacuate all state forces—especially commandos—from Moreh and the other tribal majority villages. “No peace” could exist, they said, as long as state troops were stationed nearby.

The Committee also urged Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, to promptly reinstate the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) over the whole valley so that the Indian army could respond to the crisis.

Manipur, which garnered media attention in 2023 for ethnic conflict, is now experiencing new tensions after violent attacks. “Highly upset” by the violence in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that anyone who inflame tensions would face consequences from the administration, including the reintroduction of AFSPA.

“We can no longer put up with this scenario. Additionally, Mr. Singh hinted to the potential reimposition of AFSPA by saying, “The central government will not sit on the sidelines.”

On May 3, a “Tribal Solidarity March” was held in the state’s hill districts to express opposition to the Meitei community’s request for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation. This event precipitated the ethnic riots in Manipur.

Meiteis make up over 53% of Manipur’s population and are mostly found in the Imphal valley. The Nagas and Kukis are two of the tribes that make a little over 40% of the population and live in the hilly areas.