Imphal: Shiva Sena Manipur state unit and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) have urged the central and state governments to take legal action against the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU).
This call comes after COTU announced restrictions on movement in the Kuki Zo areas and repeatedly demanded a separate administration, despite efforts by the Union Home Minister and Manipur’s governor to facilitate peace in the region.
Moirangthem Tombi, president of Shiva Sena Manipur, strongly condemned the inflammatory statement issued by COTU during a press conference in Imphal on Tuesday.
Tombi argued that COTU’s declaration to restrict free movement on national highways passing through Kuki Zo areas is unconstitutional and poses a direct threat to national unity.
Similarly, COCOMI expressed concern, stating that COTU’s insistence on a “non-negotiable” separate administration and threats to “carve their path, no matter the cost” directly challenge India’s constitutional framework.
COCOMI also criticized COTU’s defiance of the governor’s authority in Manipur and the legal process, following the governor’s recent rejection of the Kuki-Zo community’s demand for a separate administration.
COCOMI further dismissed COTU’s warning against arresting Kuki-Zo volunteers as a blatant challenge to the rule of law.