Imphal: Senjam Chirang Meira Paibis (SCMP) staged a sit-in protest on Tuesday in Manipur against the government’s proposal to set up three designated camps for Kuki militant groups under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact.
The protest was staged at the Senjam Chirang Community Hall, under the Sekmai Assembly segment in Imphal West district, adjoining Kangpokpi district in Manipur, opposing the proposed SoO camps in the Senjam Chirang area.
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Heikham Ambrapati Devi, secretary of the SCMP, said that the group has been urging the central government to withdraw the alleged plan. She also warned that they would launch a series of agitations if the government went ahead with setting up the camps, disregarding their demand.
The move to relocate SoO camps came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly instructed SoO groups on June 16 to shift their camps away from Meetei settlement areas.
At the protest site, placards displayed messages such as “Don’t extend SoO agreement”, “Don’t set up designated camps for SoO groups in reserved forest areas”, and “Don’t set up SoO camps near Meetei villages”
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A total of 25 Kuki militant groups, under the joint umbrellas of the Kuki National Organisation/Army (KNO/A) and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), signed a peace pact with the government in 2008. The peace deals have been extended from time to time. Seventeen outfits are under the KNO, while eight are under the United People’s Front (UPF).
The Kuki militants have been demanding a separate Kuki state within Manipur.