November 29, 2023: Today, on the 29th of November, for the first time, under the aegis of Zo United, a Civil Society Organi-zation acting as a parent body for all the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Mizo communities in Manipur organized a mass rally across all of India to intensify and advance the political demands of the Zo hnathlak for a sepa-rate administration in Manipur. It was a successful mass rally. Many people turned up for this public ral-ly to show their support and commitment to the Zo hnathlak political movement. Thousands of people took to the streets in 9 towns, cities, and 17 different villages across the country, participating in a nation-wide rally organized by Zo United.
The participants, expressing their discontent with the Manipur state government, held placards bearing slo-gans such as “Separate administration is the only so-lution,” “Meitei government, down, down,” “Tribal area, tribal government,” and “No solution, no rest.” The organisers highlighted the alleged grim situation faced by the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Mizo kindred family as a result of enduring seven months of ethnic cleans-ing attacks which they claimed were perpetrated by the majority Meiteis, who control the government. They reported a toll of 203 villages completely burnt down, over 7,000 houses reduced to ashes, 152 lives lost, and more than 50,000 people displaced. Blaming the majoritarian policies of the Biren Singh govern-ment for escalating tensions and eroding trust be-tween the Meiteis and tribals, organizers stressed the urgency of establishing a separate administration. They claimed that the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Mizo kindred tribes, once thriving in the capital and prosperous val-ley areas, have been forcibly displaced, with key insti-tutions like technical institutes, hospitals, offices, and the state’s only airport now inaccessible.
In a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Min-ister, Zo United Secretary Dr. VL Nghakthang and Convener Albert Renthlei outlined what they claimed was a desperate need for a separate administration. The document emphasized the historical contributions of the Manipur tribal community to India’s independ-ence struggle which they said was juxtaposed with the Chief Minister and Meitei media’s disinformation campaign, labeling the tribal populace as “illegal im-migrants.”
The memorandum also spoke of a humanitarian crisis, armed threats, and violence, with government-issued weapons allegedly distributed to the Meitei popula-tion and posing a severe threat to the tribal communi-ties. Zo United, with these points, urged the Union Home Minister to consider the establishment of a sep-arate administration.
Source: Tuithphai Times
