Amid inquiries being conducted by both the State government and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, the Manipur government on February 19 junked the claims of Kuki-Zomi tribal people over swathes of land on the Thangjing Hills — where last month the installation of a Cross led to fresh tensions in the State — as “fabricated and concocted”.
The hill range, somewhere in the middle of the buffer zone created between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, has been contested by Kukis and Meiteis as that of religious and cultural significance to their respective communities. Contests over the right to pray and worship on the hill range have only escalated since the ethnic conflict between the two communities began on May 3, 2023.
The Manipur government order of Monday comes in response to a statement issued by a Kuki-Zomi youth body based in Churachandpur. The outfit, Lomlhang Som (LS), calls itself a youth forum of the Kuki-Zo people, and had issued a statement on February 15, asserting the community’s claim over the hill range.
