Written & Edited By : Aditi Mishra
18 August 2023 ( New Delhi) : Imphal has turned into a “valley of death” for the Kuki-Zo people, according to 10 Manipur MLAs in a letter to the PM requesting a parallel administrative setup in the hill districts with a separate Chief Secretary and DGP. A status report presented by the State administration to the Supreme Court earlier this month stated that over 2,000 government workers, including police officers, had been relocated from the violent Manipur state to “districts where they would face no threats.” Ten Manipur legislators, including some from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to demand separate or equivalent Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) posts for each of the five hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Chandel, Tengnoupal, and Pherzawl in order to effectively manage the Kuki-Zo tribal population. A separate administration had previously been proposed by the lawmakers.
Since the start of ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei populations in Manipur on May 3, there has been a noticeable split in how the state’s government and judiciary are run. Officials from both groups are unable to carry out their duties in regions where the other community is dominant because the Kuki-Zo tribal group dominates the hills while the Meitei make up the majority in the valley districts.
In a status report filed with the Supreme Court on August 1, the Manipur government stated that all government personnel, including IAS officers, drivers, peons, security guards, and school teachers, have been relocated to areas where they are safe.
Due to safety concerns, 28 IAS and MCS officers, 25 Manipur Finance Service personnel, 389 school teachers, and 42 staff of the Manipur High Court had their positions transferred.
According to the report, up to 761 State police officers had left their posts or were not present for work. Up to 687 employees had returned to work as of June 19; however, 74 remained absent. According to the report, 1,092 members of the Manipur Rifles and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) also deserted their organizations. 1,018 of those members later turned themselves in to “one or more police units of the State,” while 74 are still missing.
