All posts tagged: Manipur ethnic crisis

Meitei Body In Memorandum To Governor

Meitei Body In Memorandum To Governor

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Imphal/Guwahati: An umbrella body of civil society organisations of Manipur’s valley-dominant Meitei community has requested Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to work for restoring an elected government within a month. President’s Rule was imposed in violence-hit Manipur on February 13 following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Representatives of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) met Governor Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in the state capital Imphal, and submitted a 13-point memorandum that detailed steps the Governor may consider to bring peace to Manipur. “It is evident that in the ongoing law and order crisis in Manipur, the Meetei group has no specific agenda or objective in engaging with this conflict. Rather, the crisis appears to be driven by those pursuing the demand for a separate administration,” COCOMI said in the memorandum. COCOMI requested the Governor to work on a comprehensive initiative to identify, dismantle, and evict all illegal villages that have sprung up across the state, threatening its demographic and environmental integrity. The civil society group said all violent activities and unauthorised …

Crisis-Hit Manipur’s Meitei Community Holds Solidarity Meet In Delhi, Seeks Justice

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Members of the Meitei community hold a solidarity meet in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar New Delhi: The Meitei community of violence-hit Manipur held a protest demanding justice in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Friday, the day ethnic violence broke out with the Kuki-Zo tribes last year. The community appealed to all the elected representatives of Manipur to work together with the people by taking steps towards reconciliatory efforts with the sole mission of bringing a lasting peace and harmonious co-existence in Manipur. “One year of continuous turmoil with sporadic violence has shown that intimidation and bloodshed cannot solve any problem. It is only through dialogue that lasting peace can be achieved. But peace has to come hand in hand with justice. We have to strive for just peace. Otherwise we cannot have lasting peace,” professor Bhagat Oinam said. Rohan Philem, a social activist, said, “Yes to peace, but no to separate administration. Yes to solidarity, but no to the so-called Kukiland. I stand with Christians, but not with the Kukiland war mongers.” Members of the Meitei community …

High Drama As Soldiers Fire In Air To Disperse Protesters In Manipur’s Bishnupur

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Women protesters surround army soldiers in Manipur’s Bishnupur district Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi: An army patrol that found 11 armed men in police uniform in Manipur’s Bishnupur district was surrounded by a group of women protesters after the soldiers detained the men and seized their weapons, the police said. The women protesters, part of a cultural movement known as Meira Paibis (she who holds the burning torch), demanded the army to release the men and also return the weapons. The protesters alleged the 11 men were “village defence volunteers” and disarming them would put their village at risk of attack by armed men from nearby hills, amid the ethnic tensions. Visuals of the incident that happened on Tuesday show the soldiers being pushed around by the women, who stood in front of an armoured mine-proof vehicle and stopped it from leaving the area with the confiscated weapons. Surrounded by shouting and yelling protesters, the soldiers fired several rounds in the air to disperse the crowd. But it had little effect. “Don’t go anywhere, stand here, stand here,” …