Representatives of different tribal groups from Manipur held a meeting with senior officials of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) in New Delhi on Wednesday, people aware of the matter said.

During the three-hour meeting, which was also attended by Centre’s interlocutor AK Mishra, the tribal groups held a discussion on their demand for a separate administration and the Centre’s plan to fence the 1,643 kilometre-long border between India and Myanmar, effectively ending the free movement regime that allows people on both sides to venture 16km into each other’s territory without paperwork.

“All tribal leaders met under the banner of Zo United. It is a coordinating body of all apex tribal bodies and councils from different tribal districts. We also told the MHA representatives about the joint demand of a separate administration for all tribals, the state-sponsored violence and the electricity crisis in Churachandpur (Kuki dominated district in Manipur),” a tribal leader said on condition of anonymity.

Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kukis since May 3 last year, with other communities increasingly getting sucked into the violence that has continued unabated. Over the past eight months, at least 210 people have lost their lives, and over 50,000 people have been displaced.