Imphal, Jan 13: The Kuki Students’ Organisation–General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ) has approached the Governor of Manipur seeking urgent intervention to address the challenges faced by Kuki-Zo students and employees of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University–Regional Campus Manipur (IGNTU-RCM), who were displaced following the ethnic violence that erupted in the state in May 2023.
In a memorandum dated January 12, the organisation stated that all Kuki-Zo students and staff were forced to abandon the university campus at Makhan in Kangpokpi district due to security concerns. Despite being internally displaced, they continue to pursue their academic studies and professional responsibilities under difficult and uncertain conditions, the KSO said.
The student body alleged that while Kuki-Zo students and employees remain unable to access the Makhan campus, the university’s administrative office is being operated intermittently from Imphal, a move it claimed largely benefits non-Kuki-Zo communities. According to the KSO, this arrangement has resulted in unequal access to academic and administrative facilities, placing displaced Kuki-Zo students and staff at a disadvantage.
Describing the situation as unjustifiable, the organisation said such practices run contrary to the core objective of IGNTU-RCM, which was established to serve all tribal communities of Manipur without discrimination. To address the issue, the KSO urged the Governor to facilitate the setting up of a temporary IGNTU-RCM administrative office in Churachandpur. It argued that such a step would enable Kuki-Zo students to access essential academic services and allow displaced employees to carry out their official duties more effectively.
The memorandum also highlighted long-standing concerns regarding Guest Faculties in the Departments of Tribal Studies and Sociology and Social Anthropology. The KSO noted that these faculty members have been serving the university since 2013 without permanent recruitment, despite performing duties comparable to those of regular staff. It termed the situation exploitative, pointing out that the Guest Faculties have neither been engaged as full contractual employees nor given any opportunity for regularisation over the past decade.
Calling for immediate action, the KSO warned that continued inaction could further marginalise displaced students and staff and have a detrimental impact on the functioning and academic integrity of the university.
