The Centre on Saturday held a crucial meeting in New Delhi with representatives of Meitei and Kuki communities from Manipur, focusing on a roadmap for lasting peace and confidence-building between the two sides amid continuing tensions in the state.
Sources said the meeting emphasised the need to maintain law and order and defuse simmering tensions between the communities. Discussions also centred around restoring trust and stability in the violence-hit region.
A six-member Meitei delegation comprising representatives from the All-Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) participated in the talks. The Kuki side was represented by a seven-member delegation. The Centre was represented by its mediators, including A.K. Mishra, a retired Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
However, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent Meitei civil society body, rejected the talks, calling them a "facade of peace talks" staged by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). COCOMI accused the Centre of projecting a misleading narrative by portraying the crisis as a mere ethnic conflict, ignoring its deeper political and structural dimensions. It described the talks as a "stage-managed spectacle" and declined to participate.
Ten Kuki-Zo tribal MLAs - including seven from the ruling BJP - and leading tribal organisations have consistently demanded a separate administration or Union Territory status for the Kuki-Zo tribals.
Tensions in the state remain high. On March 8, violence erupted in Kangpokpi and other districts as Kuki-Zo tribal groups protested the resumption of bus services between Imphal and the hill districts.
Sources said the meeting emphasised the need to maintain law and order and defuse simmering tensions between the communities. Discussions also centred around restoring trust and stability in the violence-hit region.
A six-member Meitei delegation comprising representatives from the All-Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) participated in the talks. The Kuki side was represented by a seven-member delegation. The Centre was represented by its mediators, including A.K. Mishra, a retired Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
However, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent Meitei civil society body, rejected the talks, calling them a "facade of peace talks" staged by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). COCOMI accused the Centre of projecting a misleading narrative by portraying the crisis as a mere ethnic conflict, ignoring its deeper political and structural dimensions. It described the talks as a "stage-managed spectacle" and declined to participate.
Ten Kuki-Zo tribal MLAs - including seven from the ruling BJP - and leading tribal organisations have consistently demanded a separate administration or Union Territory status for the Kuki-Zo tribals.
Tensions in the state remain high. On March 8, violence erupted in Kangpokpi and other districts as Kuki-Zo tribal groups protested the resumption of bus services between Imphal and the hill districts.
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