Latest news with #Meitei-Kuki
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Centre names Puneet Kumar Goel as chief secretary of Manipur
In what insiders termed a significant bureaucratic move, the Centre has posted 1991-batch AGMUT, or central cadre, IAS officer Puneet Kumar Goel as the chief secretary of Manipur. BJP sources said the move, which is said to be part of an ongoing and significant gubernatorial and bureaucratic overhaul, was aligned with 'possible legislative business related to the state of Manipur' and likely to entail an extension of the ongoing President's Rule there during the upcoming Monsoon Session. Manipur is under President's Rule following ethnic Meitei-Kuki clashes in May 2023 which were followed by N Biren Singh's resignation as chief minister in February 2025. A career bureaucrat who served in various capacities across significant bodies such as the Delhi Jal Board, the Delhi transport department, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the power and SC/ST/OBC sectors at the Centre, and as chief secretary of Goa, Goel was moved to the Manipur state cadre following approval from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-chaired Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Goel was posted as secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, at the end of his tenure as Goa chief secretary after serving in the post between February 2022 and October 2024. He will serve under Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the former home secretary of India, who remained in that post for five years from 2019 till his appointment in the formerly BJP-ruled state in December last year. Towards the end of his tenure as Goa chief secretary, Goel had fielded, and denied in an affidavit to the Bombay High Court allegations of abusing his position in changing the zone of a property he eventually bought. He had told the court that the file in question was among 'more than 700' signed by him in March 2024. In late May, a group of 10 NDA MLAs had called on Governor Bhalla to press for the formation of 'a popular government' in the state, claiming the support of 44 legislators, including seven from the BJP and three from its state ally, the National People's Party (NPP), and an Independent.
NDTV
05-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Manipur's Kuki Body Asks Their MLAs Not To Be Part Of New Government
Guwahati/Imphal: An influential body of Manipur's Kuki tribes has asked MLAs from their community not to be a part of the next state government whenever it is formed. The state bordering Myanmar where Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence broke out over two years ago is under the President's rule, after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister of the BJP-led government in February. In recent days, some BJP leaders have spoken about forming a popular government soon. The Kuki Inpi Manipur in a statement on Saturday, however, asked their MLAs not to participate in the formation of a new government in Manipur. There are 10 MLAs from the community. Days after violence began on May 3, 2023, the 10 MLAs issued a statement demanding what they called a "separate administration". "No Kuki-Zo Member of Legislative (MLA) shall participate or take part in any manner in the formation of a new popular government in the state of Manipur," the KIM said in the statement signed by its general secretary Khaikhohauh Gangte. "Under no circumstances shall the Kuki-Zo people compromise our ancestral land, culture, identity, and political, social and economic rights," the KIM said. The KIM marked a copy of the statement to other allied organisations of the Kuki tribes and also the two umbrella groups, Kuki National Organisation and United People's Front, which represent 25 insurgent groups that signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government. Meitei leaders have alleged Kuki insurgent groups that signed the SoO agreement have been working to strengthen themselves over the years by taking advantage of the ceasefire, until a time came to engineer a violent attack for a separate land. While Kuki groups pointed at the ethnic clashes that began in May 2023 as the reason why they escalated their demand from an autonomous council to a separate administration, or a Union Territory with an assembly, Meitei leaders have pointed at decades-old evidence of Kuki groups working to form 'Kukiland' carved out of Manipur. The World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) in a memorandum to Manipur's new Governor on January 15 said the Kuki tribes have been demanding a state "since 1946-47." In the years before May 2023, Kuki protests, gatherings and panel discussions have mentioned the demand for a separate area carved out of Manipur.
NDTV
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Free Movement, 3-Phase Plan To Rebuild Lives In Manipur: Chief Secretary Shares Details
Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi: The Manipur government has come up with a three-phase plan to ensure internally displaced persons can return home safely to rebuild and restart their lives in peace, Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh told reporters in the state capital Imphal on Friday. Free movement of people will be possible very soon, he added. "A lot of things are happening, both here in Imphal as well as in Delhi. Everybody is working hard. The central government, the state government and civil organisations are working in close coordination," the chief secretary said. Mr Singh said the situation in the state where Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began in May 2023 has improved a lot, except for one-two odd incidents now and then. Farmers from both the communities are working in their fields with little gap in distance and even helping each other with sharing water, the chief secretary said. "Things are improving as we talk, one or two incidents apart. Farming is going on peacefully as we have made adequate arrangements. I am glad to say that both sides are farming together closely and sharing water. That is a very good sign and positive signals are coming. We have appealed to all civil society organisations to maintain calm," he said. Manipur has been under the President's rule since February after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister. The chief secretary, however, cautioned that one odd incident here and there can happen because some mischievous elements are always there. He asked people from both communities not to be misled by such elements. "Some people want to prolong [the crisis]. Some want something mischievous to happen. But the press should play a responsible role. Please verify from us and please report the right things," Mr Singh told reporters. On June 19, a farmer from the Meitei community was shot at by unknown people near the foothills in Bishnupur district's Phubala village, after which the security forces launched an operation and a gunfight broke out. An elderly woman from the Kuki tribes was killed in the crossfire, the police said. Even in this case, civilians who were going about their day normally were either injured or killed, officials had said, pointing at the role of a few "unknown miscreants" in keeping the Manipur tension alive. Homecoming And Rehabilitation The three-phase plan to help people rebuild their lives will begin this month with the return of "a good number" of people to their homes with government help, the chief secretary said. The second phase will start in October, and the third and last phase will be in December, he said. All relief camps are planned to be shut by December after every displaced person has returned home or shifted to well-built prefabricated houses, Mr Singh said. "First, those who want to go back immediately, a good number will go this month. Many have already started going back," he said. "The number [of displaced people] which was 62,000 in the beginning [of the conflict] is now about 57,000. And as we speak, yesterday I took stock of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. People have started going back. The first round will go back by July, the second round by October, and the third round by December," Mr Singh said. According to the chief secretary, the government will offer three types of assistance: 1. Some 8,000 people whose houses were destroyed will be given Rs 3 lakh [total of Rs 1.3 lakh and Rs 1.7 lakh] to build houses. 2. Financial aid will be given to approximately 7,000 people who fled from their homes but the structures were not destroyed or damaged, only became dilapidated in the last two years. "There will be some kind of monetary help for them so they can go and set up their house and start their livelihood," the chief secretary said. 3. The government estimates that some 10,000 people may not be able to return immediately even after December. These may include those who have fled from Moreh, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. They will be accommodated in at least 1,000 more prefabricated houses that the government is building. "The camps are planned to be shut by December. That is the plan," Mr Singh said. To a question about speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Manipur, the chief secretary said there is no information yet. "Not that we are aware of. I mean, an expectation is there but nothing has come as of now," he said. The clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have killed over 260 people.
NDTV
01-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Perhaps Most Stringent In The Country": UIDAI Official On Manipur's Aadhaar Process
Guwahati/New Delhi: Manipur follows a process of issuing Aadhaar to adults that is considered the "most stringent" in the country, a senior official of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said at a meeting with Governor AK Bhalla in the state capital Imphal on Tuesday. For minors, the state makes it a must for parents or guardians to update their details - free of cost - when they are between 5 and 7 years old, and after turning 15, the state government said. "It was also noted that each case of adult Aadhaar has to be mandatorily scrutinised and approved only at the level of State HQ in the office of Special Secretary Home," the Manipur government said in a statement on Tuesday. One of the UIDAI officials present in the meeting observed that "Manipur's adult Aadhaar process is perhaps the most stringent in the country." The high-quality checks and scrutiny process ensure that no illegal foreigners are able to obtain Aadhaar, the government said. Based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UIDAI, the "rigorous scrutiny in Manipur ensures that approval is granted only after detailed verification of Aadhaar applications," it said. Those who attended the meeting at the Raj Bhawan included the chief secretary, and senior officers from the home department, UIDAI, social welfare, and education departments. Police investigations into fake Aadhaar gangs in Manipur go on for a long time as local criminals often have links with 'agents' abroad who push illegal immigrants into India The Manipur government's statement comes days after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in neighbouring Assam said they are planning to empower only district commissioners (DCs) to issue Aadhaar to adults, a move that could prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining the unique biometric identity number. Manipur shares 400 km of the 1,640 km-long India-Myanmar border. Fencing along the mostly porous border has started, and is expected to take a couple of years to fence the entire length. Illegal immigration and people using fake Aadhaar have been major issues in Manipur, where Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence broke out in May 2023. A Myanmarese national who was arrested in Mizoram on June 24 for drug trafficking was found with an Aadhaar card in his name which was issued in Manipur. In June 2024, a huge racket of issuing fake Aadhaar and voter identity cards to illegal immigrants in Manipur was busted. Investigators released samples of the fake identity cards held by two Myanmar nationals, who were found living among locals in a district in Manipur. At a meeting with MHA officials in Delhi On Monday, a delegation of three top civil society organisations from Manipur asked the Centre to begin the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise or a similar mechanism in the border state to address the issue of illegal immigration.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Manipur: Meitei civil body urges govt to act after attack on farmers
Imphal: The coordinating committee on Manipur integrity (COCOMI), an apex Meitei civil body, issued a statement on Friday urging the government to take necessary action to counter the growing violence during the ongoing cultivation season. This comes a day after a 60-year-old farmer, Ningthoujam Biren, sustained a bullet injury on his left arm after he was allegedly shot by Kuki militants while working in his paddy field at Phubala in Bishnupur district. 'We have been alerting the authorities for years. The current pattern of security deployment is clearly inadequate. Armed militants are targeting farmers in their fields, and this latest incident only reinforces our warnings,' COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said. A clash also broke out on Sunday morning in Imphal East after a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi allegedly arrived with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak, near a Kuki village. No casualties were reported. With paddy cultivation underway, the COCOMI has demanded deployment of additional security personnel along the first line of hill terrain and foothill ranges bordering the valley's agricultural zones. 'This is the cultivation season. Our farmers have the right to access and cultivate their fields safely. Denying them this security is denying them a basic right,' Athouba added. Also Read:Clash breaks out between Meitei-Kuki communities in Imphal East over farmland Clarifying that people in the valley do not oppose Kuki farmers cultivating on nearby lands, Athouba said, 'But the security forces must act decisively against those carrying arms and threatening either of the community.' Athouba accused the government of only issuing statements but making little implementation on the ground. 'The public is losing patience. This must be the last time such an incident occurs. The government must respond with urgency and seriousness. If not, we could witness another wave of massive public protests,' Athouba said. COCOMI has urged the government to take strong measures to neutralise threats from armed groups on both sides, said Athouba.
