GUWAHATI: Six Kuki-Zo organisations, including the Kuki Students’ Organisation in Manipur, asked people from the Meitei community to refrain from entering Kuki-Zo areas by crossing the buffer zone. “There is speculation that the Meitei community intends to cross the buffer zone for ‘Ching Kaba’ (annual mountain climbing cultural event) at Thangting or Thangjing Hills in April. Unless and until a political settlement is reached by the Government of India for the Kuki-Zo community under the Constitution of India, no such friendly approach to the jurisdiction of Kuki-Zo land will be allowed for the Meitei community,” the organisations said in a joint statement.They warned that any attempt to cross the buffer zone would be considered a direct challenge to the Kuki-Zo community and the person/persons involved would be held solely responsible for any untoward incident arising out of it.The organisations asked both communities to maintain the status quo and respect the buffer zone in order to avoid further escalation of the ethnic problem.“Any intention to cross the buffer zone will be opposed tooth and nail by the Kuki-Zo community. Therefore, the government must take measures to safeguard the interests of the two communities,” the statement further stated.A controversy triggered by the installation of a large cross in the Thangjing hill range was widely reported in January last year. The hill has a shrine that Meiteis consider sacred and ancient. In the wake of the controversy, the state government stated that the present-day Thangjing hill range falls within the Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forests.Meanwhile, curfew was imposed in parts of Churachandpur district following tensions arising out of the hoisting of community flags in a disputed area between two villages.One person was killed in the district last month during clashes between people from Zomi and Hmar tribes. The violence broke out on the outskirts of Churachandpur when the Hmars opposed a Zomi group’s hoisting of its community flag.
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