Kuki members included in a committee set up by the Centre to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups of strife-torn Manipur expressed unhappiness, claiming they were not consulted before including their name in the panel.
Several Kuki organisations also raised objections to the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the 51-member panel headed by Governor Anusuiya Uikey.
The Meitei community members, however, welcomed formation of the Peace Committee. The apex body of Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) in a statement said its president has been included in the list of members “without prior and proper consultation and information”.
“Kuki Inpi Manipur senses no rationale to pursue peace solely with individuals who have engineered the violence against its people... Peace must be the result of the concerted efforts of the Union Home Ministry and the affected communities. It cannot be a condition to impose normalcy,” the KIM said. Kuki-based civil society organisation Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has also condemned the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the panel.