‘Unavoidable’: Why Kuki-Zo Council is taking demand for separate Union Territory to PM Modi

The Kuki-Zo Council, representing Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, has formally taken its demand for a separate Union Territory (UT) with legislature t...

What Happened

The Kuki-Zo Council, representing Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, has formally taken its demand for a separate Union Territory (UT) with legislature to the Centre, describing the demand as "unavoidable" given the continuing ethnic violence and displacement since May 2023.
A joint meeting of Kuki-Zo Council representatives, Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups, and Kuki-Zo Members of the Legislative Assembly held in Guwahati in early 2026 unanimously resolved to reiterate the demand for a UT with legislature carved out of Manipur's hill districts.
Kuki-Zo MLAs have declared they will not participate in forming or joining the Manipur state government unless a written assurance on the separate UT demand is provided by the Centre.
The demand envisions a new administrative unit — sometimes called "Kukiland" — covering the hill districts predominantly inhabited by Kuki-Zo communities, under the Central Government rather than the Manipur state government.
The Central Government has maintained that solutions must be explored within the existing framework of Manipur state while encouraging autonomy arrangements, but has not publicly committed to a UT.
Ethnic tension between the Meitei community of the Imphal valley and Kuki-Zo communities in the surrounding hills has resulted in over 250 deaths and mass displacement since May 2023.

Static Topic Bridges

Article 3 — Formation of New States and Alteration of Existing States

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution grants Parliament the exclusive power to create new states, alter existing state boundaries, merge states, or rename them.

Parliament may: form a new state by separating territory from an existing state; enlarge or diminish the area of a state; alter the boundaries or name of a state.
Procedural requirement: No Bill under Article 3 can be introduced in either House of Parliament without prior recommendation of the President. If the Bill affects a state's area, boundary, or name, the President must refer it to the concerned State Legislature for its views — but the State Legislature's opinion is advisory only; Parliament is not bound by it.
The formation of Telangana (2014) from Andhra Pradesh is the most recent use of Article 3 to create a new state.
A Union Territory (UT) without legislature is administered directly by the Central Government through a Lieutenant Governor; a UT with legislature (like Delhi, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir) has its own elected assembly with limited powers.

Connection to this news: The Kuki-Zo demand for a UT with legislature is a constitutional demand under Article 3, requiring a Parliamentary Bill introduced with Presidential recommendation. The state of Manipur's opposition to bifurcation is legally advisory — Parliament can override it — making this a question of political will, not constitutional prohibition.

Article 371C — Special Provision for Manipur

Article 371C of the Constitution provides a special safeguard for Manipur's hill areas, distinct from the Sixth Schedule arrangement applicable to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Article 371C requires the Governor of Manipur to submit annual reports to the President on the administration of the hill areas.
A Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly has been constituted to deal with legislation affecting hill areas — but it has advisory status and lacks the autonomous legislative powers of Sixth Schedule councils.
Critically, Manipur is NOT under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. It is a Fifth Schedule state in terms of tribal area administration for Scheduled Tribe communities, with the added overlay of Article 371C for the hills.
The absence of Sixth Schedule status means Kuki-Zo and Naga hill communities lack the autonomous district councils with judicial and legislative powers that tribal communities have in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Connection to this news: The Kuki-Zo Council's demand for a separate UT is partly rooted in the inadequacy of Article 371C's protections — the Hill Areas Committee lacks real autonomy, and Kuki-Zo communities feel unprotected within the existing Manipur state framework, especially after the 2023 violence.

Fifth Schedule — Scheduled Areas and Tribal Administration

The Fifth Schedule (Article 244) governs the administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than the four northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

The President has power to declare, alter, or rescind "Scheduled Areas" in any state.
Governors of Scheduled Area states have special powers (Para 5 of Fifth Schedule) to direct that Acts of Parliament or the State Legislature shall not apply to Scheduled Areas, or shall apply with modifications.
The Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) advises the Governor on welfare of Scheduled Tribes in Scheduled Areas.
Manipur has Scheduled Tribe communities in its hill districts; however, the Fifth Schedule's protections are limited compared to the autonomous district councils under the Sixth Schedule.

Connection to this news: The Kuki-Zo demand reflects the inherent tension in the Fifth Schedule: its protections are weaker than the Sixth Schedule's autonomous councils, and the governance of Manipur's hills through the HAC under Article 371C is seen as insufficient for protecting Kuki-Zo identity and safety amid majoritarian pressures in the valley.

Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement and Insurgency in Manipur

The Suspension of Operations is a tripartite arrangement between the Central Government, the Manipur state government, and designated Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, under which armed groups agree to suspend offensive operations in exchange for designated camps and basic allowances.

SoO agreements with Kuki-Zo groups have been in effect since 2005, with periodic renewals; the Manipur state government unilaterally ended its participation in the SoO arrangement in 2023 following the ethnic violence, though the Central Government continued the framework.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) remains in force in parts of Manipur, granting the military and central paramilitary forces special powers including immunity from prosecution for acts done in good faith during operations.
AFSPA Section 4 empowers security forces to use force, arrest without warrant, and enter and search premises without a warrant in notified "disturbed areas."
The Manipur valley is under the jurisdiction of the state police, while the hills (where SoO groups operate) are more heavily policed by central forces — this jurisdictional split is itself a governance flashpoint.

Connection to this news: The Kuki-Zo Council presenting SoO groups and Kuki-Zo MLAs together in a unified political demand signals that the armed-group–civil society distinction is collapsing in the community's political strategy, and that the Centre's SoO-based engagement is insufficient without a political resolution on governance structure.

Key Facts & Data

Ethnic conflict in Manipur began: May 3, 2023; over 250 deaths and 60,000+ displaced as of 2026.
Kuki-Zo communities inhabit hill districts including Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Pherzawl, Tengnoupal, and parts of Senapati.
Meitei community: predominantly Hindu, inhabit the Imphal valley (approximately 10% of Manipur's land area); Kuki-Zo and Naga communities predominantly in the surrounding hills (approximately 90% of land area).
Article 371C inserted by the 27th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1971.
Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils exist in: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram — NOT Manipur.
Manipur became a full state: January 21, 1972.
Telangana (most recent state formation under Article 3) created: June 2, 2014.
AFSPA has been in force in parts of Manipur continuously since 1980.
SoO agreements with Kuki-Zo groups first signed: 2005; currently covering approximately 25 armed groups.