Kuki-Zo groups protest at Jantar Mantar, demand separate UT

New Delhi: The Kuki Students' Organisation and the Kuki-Zo Women's Forum Delhi and NCR staged a demonstration here on Saturday and raised the demand for a separate Union Territory with a legislature for the Kuki areas of Manipur.Scores of members of the Kuki-Zo tribe gathered at the Jantar Mantar and raised slogans, saying they cannot go back to Manipur unless the crisis in the northeastern state has been resolved.The protesters carried placards with slogans that called Biren Singh's resignation from the chief minister's post a ‘smokescreen' and highlighted their demand for a separate Union Territory. The protesters blamed the former chief minister for the situation prevailing in Manipur.In a statement issued at the demonstration site, the protesters said the Kuki-Zo community has endured historical injustices. "The Kuki-Zo community has endured historical injustices and would like to reiterate the urgent need for a political solution for the community in Manipur," the statement, copies of which would also be sent to the offices of the PM and home minister as a charter of demand, said.It said the community, an integral part of the Indian Union since its inception, has historically faced marginalisation, injustices and systemic exclusion from mainstream governance structures in Manipur, despite its significant contributions to the country. "The present administrative machinery in Manipur has utterly failed to protect our lives and address our grievances, aspirations and rights," it said.PTI
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