The draft of a ‘Kuki-Zo People’s Referendum Ballot’ to decide whether the tribe wants a Union Territory carved out of Manipur’s hill districts has set the stage for potentially the second such exercise by any North-East community since the May 16, 1951, so-called plebiscite involving the region’s Naga people.
“Do you, as a Kuki-Zo person residing in Manipur, support creation of a UT comprising all Kuki-Zo villages, to be governed directly by Centre, ensuring safety, justice, and equitable development?” states the draft.
Meanwhile, Manipur’s Kuki-Zo Council withdrew on Thursday evening the indefinite shutdown in parts of the restive state after ayouth’s death in a March 8 clash with security forces over the resumption of “free movement” between the hills and the valley