Civil Society Groups Threaten State-Wide Stir From Oct 31
Flames and smoke billow after protesters burn effigies during a protest against the killing of three Meiteis by suspected militants in Imphal
Guwahati: Manipur remained tense on Thursday as protests over the killing of three Meitei woodcutters spread across the Imphal Valley, while a Naga village near the Myanmar border was set on fire.Armed elements linked to a Kuki militant group operating from Myanmar allegedly set fire to Pilong village in Kamjong district, damaging several houses and vehicles, according to reports. No casualties were reported.A Kuki village, Khoikai, was burned down in Kamjong on Wednesday, allegedly by Naga insurgents.Pilong was earlier in the news after four Naga villagers were shot dead on Sept 24. A suo motu FIR registered at Chassad police station said police received information that unidentified armed men, suspected to be from the Myanmar-based KNA(B), were behind the killings.In the valley, the killing of three Meitei woodcutters at Sunurok in Imphal East triggered sit-ins and rallies at more than 20 locations across three districts.The three were killed on Oct 19 while collecting firewood in a forest. Police later arrested three Kuki-Zo men in a joint operation, identifying them as active cadres of the Kuki National Front (N) faction and alleging their involvement in the killings. The outfit denied the allegation and said the three arrested men were not its members.Some protesters demanded the resignations of CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh and deputy CM Nemcha Kipgen.At a sit-in organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the Foothills Naga Coordinating Committee and the Naga Humanitarian Aid Committee Manipur, protesters warned of a larger movement across the hill and valley districts from Oct 31 if the conflict was not resolved by Oct 30.COCOMI convener YK Dhiren blamed the state govt for failing to ensure civilian safety. He alleged that repeated assurances of a return to peace had led the victims to enter an unsafe area. “A larger movement” across hill and valley districts would follow from Oct 31 if demands were not met, he said.A march by the All India Students’ Federation, Manipur, turned tense near Kangla’s Western Gate when police and central security personnel stopped protesters from proceeding to Raj Bhavan. Several protesters were detained.Women vendors at Khwairamband Ima Keithel, the world’s largest all-women market located in Imphal, demanded the resignations of the CM, deputy CM and MP A Sarda. Referring to assurances that people could travel freely across the state, the vendors’ body asked how ordinary citizens could feel secure when three people had been killed while collecting firewood.At Pallel in Kakching district, Meitei and Maring women held sit-ins condemning the killings before taking out a rally along the Imphal-Moreh Road.The family of Ksh Sushil, one of the three victims, joined a sit-in at Uyumpok Mamang Leikai in Imphal East, demanding justice. Protesters urged the authorities to take effective steps to prevent further attacks on civilians and bring those responsible to justice.
