Two non-SoO Kuki militant outfits, KNF-N (Kuki National Front -Nehlun) and SDFK (Socialist Democratic Front of Kukiland) declared India’s 74th Independence Day boycotted in all Kuki dominated places in the state.
The two non-SoO Kuki militants boycotted the Independence Day celebration annually alleging the government of India of sidelining the inherent right of the Kukis for self determination as a distinct indigenous people in the land of their own, while stating that it will continue to boycott the national event until and unless the governments pave the way for creation of ‘Kukiland’ in letter and spirit.
According to the militant outfits' respective press statements, the boycott will begin from midnight of August 14 till midnight of August 15. Government offices/institutions, transportation services, business establishments, etc. except emergency medical service and media will be closed during the boycott.
The KNF-N militant outfit information and publicity secretary, Gou alias Kuki said that as the government of India continuously sidelined the demand of ‘Separate State’ for the Kukis under the Constitution of India Article No.3 (a), they are compelled to declare the important national event every year as boycotted.
“The Kuki people have separate and self-ruling administration in their own land since time immemorial but we were shrewdly ruined by politics paralyzing all our bone and strength to suppress us and we are yet to revive from such suppression which the government must take serious note of it without delay,” stated Gou.
“When the mighty British attempted to seized our occupied land during its colonization, our forefathers gallantly fought them during the three long years Anglo-Kuki War (1917-1919) and finally our forefathers, the Kuki Raja, Chengjapao Doungel and our gallant leaders Tintong Haokip and others were arrested, jailed and died for the cost of defending our ancestral land.”
However, the government of India failed to recognise the sacrifice and continued to suppress the legitimate rights, he added.
He also said that during the regional politics in India in the 1960s, Meghalaya for the Khasi, Mizoram for the Mizos and Nagaland for the Nagas were given but the government of India continue to pay no heed to the Kukis till date symbolizing the Government of India’s ‘communal politics’ while adding that it is time for the government of India to realise its fault by playing politics against the modern democratic Government norms being the world largest democracy Government and consider the legitimate demands of the Kukis.
“We want the Government of India to accomplish our long cherish demand since KNF founder (L) Nehkholun Kuki era, i.e. a separate state/administration for the Kukis, as we want to live peacefully and autonomously in our own occupied land by regaining our lost territory of Kuki inhabited areas and transform them into one nation and one administration,” said the outfit.
It also warns that if the Government fails to fulfil their legitimate demands, they will continue to boycott the national events, the Independence Day and Republic Day in all Kuki dominated areas and shall continue to restrict its people from participating in the events.
Meanwhile, S. Kuki, Information and Publicity Secretary of Socialist Democratic Front of Kukiland (SDFK) said that despite 74 years of Independence, the Indian government continues to blatantly disregard the inherent right of the Kukis for self determination as a distinct indigenous people in the land of their own.
He continued that since 1760, the Kukis had been fighting for their inherited right and defended their ancestral land even against the mighty British, which was later recorded in the colonial documents as the ‘Anglo-Kuki War’.
He said that till today the Kukis continue to face serious threats to their basic existence due to systematic Government policies and through unjust treaties the Indian Government plunder the land and resources to extend their colonial territory.
It also said that (Grierson, GA (1904) ‘Linguistic Survey of India’, (Vol 111, Part 111) and ‘The Encyclopedia Britannica’ (1962, vol xiii, pp511) records the Kukis inhabited both sides of the mountains dividing Assam and Bengal from Burma, South of the Namtaleik River.
It further said that the Kukiland, as recorded by superintendent of the department of Linguistic Survey of India (1904), Dr George Abraham Grierson was illegally occupied and seized till date by the trilateral countries i.e. India, Myanmar and Bangladesh and imprisoned its sovereign (Chamlhat) nature since the end of the WW-II
