IMPHAL : The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has condemned the Meitei rally in Imphal city of Manipur organized by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), asserting that the event was primarily aimed at opposing the demands and aspirations of the Kuki-Zo community.

The ITLF highlighted the provocative and extreme slogans directed against the Kukis during the rally.

In a statement, the ITLF declared, “It is evident that Kuki-Zo and Meitei cannot coexist. We must be separated. Total separation is the only solution. Peace in Manipur will only come when this total separation is officially acknowledged and formalized by the central government.”

The ITLF further stressed on the need for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo community, proposing the establishment of a Union Territory (UT) with a legislature under Article 239A of the Indian Constitution.

“By granting us a separate administration in the shape of the UT with a legislature under Article 239A, justice will then be served for the Kuki-Zo,” the forum stated.

The call for separation comes in the wake of severe ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, in Manipur following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

The clashes resulted in over 220 deaths, 1500 injuries, and the displacement of more than 70,000 people.