IMPHAL, Nov 17: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has submitted a detailed memorandum to the Prime Minister, strongly contesting recent assertions by the United People’s Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) regarding historical jurisdiction and ancestral land claims over Manipur’s hill regions.
The memorandum comes in response to the UPF and KNO’s meeting with Home Ministry officials in New Delhi on November 6 and 7, where the groups reportedly claimed that Manipur’s hill areas were not historically under the authority of the Maharaja of Manipur.
COCOMI described these claims as “misleading,” and laid out a series of historical, colonial-era, and judicial evidences to counter the narrative. Among the documents cited were the Manipur State Darbar Rules of 1907, which demonstrate administrative oversight of both the valley and hill regions under the Manipur State.
The memorandum further referenced legal decisions from 1963 and 1979 that affirmed state authority over forest and land management in the hill areas post-Independence.
COCOMI also challenged the notion of Kuki ancestral land rights in Manipur, characterising the community’s presence as a result of British-era settlement policies. Referring to the work of British Political Agent William McCulloch, COCOMI pointed out that the Kukis were settled in the region as part of a frontier strategy during colonial times.
The organisation questioned the legitimacy of the term “Kuki” itself, asserting that it emerged as a colonial administrative category rather than an indigenous identity. It argued that this weakens the claim to indigeneity over Manipur’s hills.
COCOMI highlighted that traditional land rights held by tribal communities were largely usufructuary—intended for livelihood uses rather than conferring proprietary ownership.
The memorandum concluded with a call to the Government of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs to reject what COCOMI terms “ahistorical claims,” warning that accepting such demands would jeopardise Manipur’s territorial integrity.
The document was signed by COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba.
