Create top posts for hills: Manipur Kuki MLAs to PM | India News – Times of India

GUWAHATI: Branding Imphal “a valley of death” that allegedly no government official from Manipur‘s Kuki-Zomi tribe wants to operate from, all 10 legislators representing the community – seven of them from BJP – have sent a memorandum to PM Narendra Modi seeking the creation of posts equivalent to that of chief secretary and DGP, among others, for five hill districts.

“IAS and MCS (Manipur civil services) officers, and IPS and MPS (Manipur Police Service) officers belonging to the Kuki-Zo tribe, have been unable to function and discharge their duties,” states the memorandum submitted to the PM on Wednesday.
The MLAs, who had originally demanded a separate administrative set-up for the state’s hill districts, argue that having officials of the rank of chief secretary and DGP stationed in Churachandpur is integral to efficient administration of the Kuki-inhabited hill districts in the current scenario. They also want several other senior posts to be created in the civil and police administration “in public interest”.

Besides Churachandpur, the districts mentioned in the plea are Kangpokpi, Chandel, Tengnoupal and Pherzawl. According to the memorandum, government employees, traders, daily-wage earners and other people from the Kuki-Zomi community living in Imphal had been “subjected to a wave of devastating attacks” since May 3, when the ethnic conflict erupted.
Kuki-Zomi students in Manipur University hostels, medical colleges and nursing institutions as well as those staying in rented houses were “dragged out from their hostels and rented houses” by mobs and tortured, molested, raped and killed, the memorandum alleges.
Vungtagin Valle, MLA from Thanlon constituency, and his driver were waylaid while returning from a meeting from the chief minister’s bungalow in Imphal, it says. “His driver was beaten to death, and the MLA was tortured and left for dead. He was rescued by security forces and rushed to a New Delhi hospital, but left incapacitated both physically and mentally.”
The memorandum also points out that the houses of two cabinet ministers, Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen, were burned down.
The Kuki-Zomi legislators have sought Rs 500 crore from the PM’s Relief Fund for the rehabilitation of people from the communit who have been displaced or lost their homes and livelihood during the ethnic clashes.