Call off shutdown against new districts: Manipur govt to Naga apex body

The United Naga Council has been demanding the rollback of seven districts created ‘arbitrarily’ in December 2016

GUWAHATI

The Manipur government has asked the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the State’s Naga communities, to withdraw its proposed 48-hour shutdown from the midnight of October 3 against the “arbitrary” creation of seven districts less than a decade ago.

The Congress government headed by Okram Ibobi Singh created these districts on December 8, 2016.

In a letter to the UNC’s president on September 30, Manipur’s Home Commissioner-Secretary N. Ashok Kumar said the Centre has agreed to resume the tripartite talks and has nominated A.K. Mishra, the advisor (North East) to represent the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The tripartite talks involve the Centre, the Manipur government, and the UNC.

“...I am to request you to withdraw the proposed agitations and to extend cooperation to the steps initiated by the Central and the State Government and avoid any kind of unwanted event,” he wrote.

The UNC stated on Monday that it had set a deadline to roll back the creation of the seven districts – Jiribam, Kakching, Kamjong, Kangpokpi, Noney, Pherzawl, and Tengnoupal. These were carved out of the Imphal East, Thoubal, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, and Chandel districts respectively.

Jiribam and Kakching are valley districts while the rest are in the hills divided unequally between the tribes belonging to the Kuki-Zo and Naga groups.

According to the UNC, the erstwhile Congress regime in Manipur bifurcated the parent districts without the informed consent and knowledge of the stakeholders apart from dishonouring four memoranda between the State government and the Naga people and an assurance from the Centre in 2011 to maintain the status quo.

The creation of the districts triggered a wave of protests, shutdowns, and a 139-day economic blockade on the arterial national highways in Manipur. The situation was brought under control after 10 rounds of tripartite talks, the last of which was held on March 9, 2019.

The 48-hour shutdown has been called in all Naga areas “to register our resentment and demand for the immediate rollback of the arbitrary creation of the seven new districts”, the UNC said.

Published - October 01, 2024 07:47 pm IST