The Meitei Heritage Society has formally raised an alarm with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding actions it claims threaten national integrity. The society submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting a series of communications allegedly sent by the Chin-Kuki-Zo group, Kuki Alliance for Nampi Awakening Movement (KANAM), to foreign governments and United Nations bodies.
International Outreach Seen as Undermining Sovereignty
The core concern outlined in the memorandum is that these international appeals could seriously undermine India's sovereignty, judicial authority, and national security. This is viewed as particularly destabilizing given the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The society argues that taking domestic matters to global forums is an attempt to delegitimize India's constitutional institutions.
NGT Order at the Heart of the Dispute
The immediate trigger for KANAM's alleged international campaign is an order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT had directed the immediate suspension of construction of a road through Manipur's hill areas. The tribunal cited the absence of statutory approvals and mandatory environmental clearance for halting work.
This pathway, known locally as the German Road or Tiger Road—named after two Chin-Kuki militants—is at the center of controversy. The Meitei Heritage Society's memo alleges that this road has been used by Chin-Kuki-Zo militant groups for drug trafficking and arms smuggling.
Pattern of Misleading Narratives and Foreign Support
The memorandum asserts that challenging a domestic judicial order internationally and portraying it as 'institutional violence' is part of a broader, recurring pattern. It claims that various Chin-Kuki-Zo organizations and individuals have repeatedly approached the UN and foreign governments, including the United States and Israel.
These approaches, the society contends, rely on misleading tribal representations and one-sided narratives of the Manipur crisis. More alarmingly, the memo alleges that these efforts are backed by foreign financial, logistical, and ideological support. This raises significant concerns about potential violations of India's Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The society concludes that such external backing has contributed to the radicalization and militarization of elements within the state, thereby exacerbating the existing crisis and hindering the path to peace.
