Manipur: Challenges of Influx and Demographic Threat

By Timothy Zimik

Origin of Kukis & Chins of Burma

In the memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister of India on the 24^th March, 1960, the Kuki National Assembly (KNA) stated that the Kuki “migration of recent memory had been through the Chin Hills of Burma” and “the same stock of people are called Kukis in the Republic of India and Chins in the Union of Burma. It may not be wrong to say that a Kuki becomes Chin the moment he crosses the Indo-Burma border and vice versa”. The KNA further submitted to the PM that “The Kukis are by nature inclined to change their habitation than their Naga brothers. This desire of moving about, this spirit of adventure is still visible by the continued migration from place to place even now”.

Demand for a separate Kuki State in Manipur

• In the KNA general meeting held at Thingkhangphai in Churachandpur district in the month of  January, 1960, the Kuki community demanded the creation of a separate Kuki State in Manipur. The KNA concluded the memorandum with the demand that “the Kuki state as demanded will enable collection of the Kuki minorities elsewhere together in a place where their lives and property can be secured”.

Demand of UT with Llegislation

• The creation of Kangpokpi district can be considered as the fulfilment of their demand. However, the Kuki’s appetite for territorial expansion has no limit. Now, they have upgraded their demand to Union Territory with legislation – a Union Territory to be curved out from the Naga areas.

Illigal immigration of Kuki-Chin-Zomi into Manipur

• The first phase of illegal immigration : The 1950s to 1960s when there was civil war in Burma.
• The second phase of illegal immigration of Kuki-Chin-Zomi community took place before and after the 8^th August, 1988 Uprising in Burma – Military Crackdown.
• The third phase of illegal immigration of Kuki-Chin-Zomi community took place after the informal ceasefire between the Assam rifles and militant groups in 2005 – which was formalised in 2008. This SoO Pact helped illegal immigration of Kuki-Zo community into Manipur from Myanmar.
• The fourth phase of Kuki illegal immigration in Manipur takes place in post-2021 Myanmar Civil War Crisis.

• The abnormal growth rate of the Kuki population in Manipur is reflected by the abnormal increase of new villages in Kuki-dominated Districts in Manipur. The census of India 1961 to the census of India 2011 shows massive illegal immigration in Kuki dominated districts. The influx of these illegal Kuki immigrants has resulted into : 

1. The indigenous people of Manipur are being reduced to a minority in Senapati-Kangpokpi, Chandel and Tengnoupal areas. 
2. The political control of the indigenous people vastly reduced. 
3. The employment and job opportunities of the indigenous people greatly undermined.
4. The huge influx of these illegal Kuki immigrants has emboldened them to demand separate union territory with legislation to be curved out from Naga areas.
5. The enlisting and inclusion of these illegal foreign nationals in the voter list have resulted in the reduction of MLAs and ADCs of indigenous people.
6. As has happened in Tripura and some parts of Assam, the unchecked influx of illegal immigrants will reduce the indigenous people of Manipur into a minority community in some districts.
7. The illegal immigrants are located in very important strategic locations and as such, they are able to control and blockade the vital roads, create buffer zones, abduct and murder innocent people at will and hold the entire people of Manipur to ransom.

1881 Census Gazetteer of Manipur by Captain E.W. Dun

Published In the Year 1886

                                                                  NAGA

KUKI

Census, 1951, State Census Handbook Vol-I by R.B. Vaghaiwalla ICS Superintendent,

Census Operation, Assam, Tripura & Manipur.

NAGA

KUKI

NAGA

KUKI

Abnornal growth of Kuki villages

As per GOI Gazette and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GOI, and the Government of Manipur, the Kukis have established more than 1718 new villages in hill districts mostly in Naga ancestral areas during the period 1969-2023. During the period 1969-2023, the number of villages increased in Kangpokpi is 721 from 179, an increase of 542. In comparison, the number of villages in Ukhrul district reduced to 92 from 106, a decrease of -14. Similarly, in Churachandpur, the number of villages increased to 842 from 282, an increase of 560. Whereas, in Kamjong, the number of villages increased to 132 from 127, an increase of just 5. There are 994 new villages established from 2006 till 2024 due to unchecked influx of Kuki illegal immigration. During the 2025-26 period, more and more new unauthorized Kuki villages have emerged/sprung up along the highways. Through invasions, encroachments and forceful occupations, the Kuki villages had multiplied manifold as per the table below:

• The above table shows the abnormal increase of 1167 Kuki villages in 3 districts of Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Pherzwal alone. The increase of 554 villages in Chandel and Tengnoupal are also due to Kuki expansions in the Kuki-dominated areas of these two districts.  Thus, the total growth of Kuki villages worked out to 1721 ( 1167+554 ) during the period under consideration. Whereas, the increase of Naga villages in the districts of  Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Noney and Kamjong comes to 67 only.  

Population trend of Thadou Kuki & AKT in Manipur.

Source : Know Manipur, Volume 1 – January, 2025, SCERT, Government of Manipur.

Ethnic-wise population composition (%) in 1881

Fraudulent of diversion of Naga MLAs to Kukis

THE LOSS OF 4 + NAGA MLAs

• As a result of illegal immigration, diversion of Naga constituencies to Kuki constituencies and fraudulent demographic manipulations, the Kuki-Zomi group had increased their MLAs at the cost of the Nagas. The Nagas had decreased their MLAs as per the details given below:
  • In the Manipur territorial Council of 1957-62: Out of 32 MLAs – 4 Naga MLAs, 1 Paite MLA, 1 Thadou Kuki MLA. ( Naga 4 : Kuki-Zomi 2 ).
  • In the first Manipur Territorial Assembly of 1962-67 : 8 Naga MLAs, 1  Paite MLA and 1 Thadou Kuki MLA. ( Naga 8 : Kuki-Zomi 2 ).
  • In the first Manipur Legislative Assembly of 1972-73, out of 60 MLAs : 13 Naga MLAs and 6 Kuki-Zomi MLAs. ( Naga 13 : Kuki-Zomi 6 ).
  • In the second Manipur Legislative Assembly of 1980-85: 10 Naga MLAs and 9 Kuki-Zomi MLAs. ( Naga 10 : Kuki-Zomi 9 ).                       
  • Presently, there are 10 Naga MLAs and 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs. ( Naga 10 : Kuki Zomi 10 ).
• If we examine the electoral role of 2023-24 of the reserved tribal  constituencies, we will see that some Kuki-Zomi constituencies have disproportionately very low electorates. Despite such less population and low electorates as compared with the Naga areas, Kuki-Zo constituencies were created fraudulently by diverting the existing constituencies of the Naga areas to the Kuki-Zomi areas. The table below will show how the Nagas had lost 4 MLA seats:

From the above table, we can see that the total Naga electorates come to 4,89,094 from 11 constituencies, whereas the total Kuki-Zomi electorates come to 3,21,544 from 9 constituencies. In  Kuki-Zo constituencies like Thanlon, Tipaimukh, Singhat, Kangpokpi, Saikul and Henglep, the average electorates per constituency is just 25,310. 

These are the constituencies where the uprooted Naga constituencies (MLAs) were shifted. The average electorates per constituency of the Naga areas work out to 44,463 as against the average Kuki-Zomi electorates of 35,727 per constituency. The difference between the two works out to  8,736 ( 44,463 – 35,727 ) per constituency. The excess electorates of the Naga areas as compared with the Kuki-Zo areas come to 1,67,550 ( 4,89,094 – 3,21,544 ).

•      The Nagas have 10 MLAs with the total electorates of 4,89,094, whereas, the Kuki-Zomi have 10 MLAs with the total electorates of 3,21,544. The total electorates of 20 tribal constituencies come to 8,10,638 with the average electorates of 40,532 per constituency. The Nagas should have 14 MLAs ( the excess Naga electorates of 1,67,550 divided by the average electorates of 40,532 of 20 constituencies = 4.13 MLAs) and thus, the Kuki-Zo should have only 6 MLAs. The Nagas have lost at least 4 MLAs. 

Kukis and Delimitaiton Excersie

1. Naga Electorates= 4,89,094 &  Kuki Electorates = 3,21,544:  If proper delimitation exercise is carried out, the Kuki-Zomi groups will face serious challenges. 

Therefore, the Kukis will use every means available to them and do everything in their power to increase their population and electorates to the maximum by hook or by crook. The Kukis will use two means: (1) the entry of bogus names in the population/electorate record and (2) bringing more illegal immigrants from Myanmar with the help of Kuki village chiefs.

Kukis waging wars against Indiginous of Manipur – the Meiteis and the Nagas

12.       The Kukis had massacred thousands of innocent Nagas – men, women, children, and infants. Some massacres are listed hereunder:

Source: Facts about the Naga-Kuki Conflict: Prepared by the Manipur Naga Baptist Church Leaders’ Fellowship (MNBCLF) – submitted to the fact-finding team of the Baptist World Alliance, September 16, 1995. 

13.   As recorded by the British administrators and historians, the Kukis had massacred innocent more Nagas as follows: (1) Kasom, Tangkhul Village (45 heads taken), (2) Landangmai, Chiru Village (35 killed), (3) Ngariyal, Kabui Naga Village (4 killed), (4) Khongakhul, Kabui Naga Village (4 killed), (5) Kharam Palem (35 killed), (6) Pungsang Chingmai Khunow, Kabui Naga Village (21 killed), (7) Mahow & Tushem, Kom Villages (10 killed), (8) Kandeep Village (15 killed), (9) Moollung Village, Tangkhul village (15 killed), (10) Konkailon Kulel (150 killed), (11) Thila, Naga Village (5 killed), (12) Konke, Naga village (93+ many children killed), (13) Konkailon Khunao Village, Tangkhul (5 killed).

The Kuki aggressors

14.   The Naga-Kuki war of 1993-1997 was started by the Kukis. Similarly, the ongoing Meitei-Kuki war was also started by the Kukis. Now again, the Kukis and their armed narco-terrorists have started the war against the Nagas. 

15.    The combined Kuki-Zomi population is 5,11,546 as per 2011 census as compared to the   Naga population of 6,35,070. If we consider the Kukis alone, there are about 2,44,000 Kukis as per 2011 census. As for the Nagas, the Kukis are:   

(1) The illegal aliens from Myanmar.  (2) The nomadic tribes that massacred thousands of Nagas – men, women, children and infants. (3) Land grabbers, encroachers and naked aggressors. (4) The treacherous professional liars, fabricators of false stories and evidences. (5) The abductors and murderers of innocent Nagas and the Meiteis. (6) The spies, informants, escorts and agents of the GOI & the security forces. (7)  The abuse and misuse of Christian faith by the Kukis. 

16.    Today, the Kukis are waging wars against the Nagas and the Meiteis. They have created buffer zones not allowing the land owners to enter such areas. They have blocked all the important roads. They are abducting and murdering innocent Nagas and Meiteis with impunity. They want Kuki land that belongs to other communities. 

17.     Manipur belongs to the Nagas and the Meiteis. We are the Yelhoumee. We will defend our land, our people to the last of our blood. 

The writer was a former Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Ministry of Finance (Revenue), Government of India.

The views and opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily state or reflect those of the NEA and its management

                                                                                                  (K. T