On December 1, 2025, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) voiced strong opposition to the Manipur Government's attempt to apply a decades-old law that strips tribal chiefs in Manipur's Hill areas of their land ownership rights. The KZC, a coalition of Kuki-Zo civil societies, referred to a November 24 letter from Manipur's Home Department instructing the Land Resources and Tribal Affairs departments to act swiftly. This follows a request from the Manipur Meetei Tribes Union to implement the Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chiefs’ Rights) Act, 1967. This law, although approved by the President in 1967, has never been enforced. It prevents tribal chiefs from owning land traditionally and stops land from passing down hereditarily. The KZC criticized the move, saying "The very notion that a non-tribal organisation is proposing fundamental changes to tribal land governance highlights deep disregard for tribal rights." They warned that pushing this during a time of "conflict and displacement" is "deliberate" and could "risk further escalation." The Council urged the Governor of Manipur to intervene and halt the process during these sensitive times. Earlier, in 2024, then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh confirmed speeding up the law’s implementation in Parliament, and BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh supported this on social media. The KZC also expressed concern about a recent announcement by the North Eastern Council sanctioning 2.13 crore rupees for a Hill chiefs’ Guest House in Imphal’s Palace Compound—a place currently unsafe for Kuki-Zo chiefs and citizens to enter. The Kuki-Zo Council stands firm against these government steps, warning of heightened tensions amid ongoing ethnic disturbances in Manipur.