Tributes paid to martyrs of august 27, 1965, on 53rd Hunger Marchers' Day
Source: IT News

Imphal, August 27 2018: Martyrs, who had sacrificed their lives on this day of 1965 while joining the mass uprising against the then government authority for creating artificial famine in the state, were paid fitting tributes at Chinga Mathak on occasion of the Hunger Marchers' Day.

The All Manipur Students' Union- one of the oldest student body in the State observed the day as Hunger Marchers' Day ('Chaklam Khongchat') .

This is 53rd years of the mass uprising.

Four martyrs – Oinam Nabakumar, Waikhom Ninkai , Laishram Chouval and Nameirakpam Promodini were martyred in police action during the uprising.

The day's observation began since early morning with hymns in the name of the four martyrs who lost their lives during the movement being offered at the memorial site at Pishum (Ching Macha) .

Tributes paid to martyrs of august 27, 1965, on 53rd Hunger Marchers' Day

Large number of people including students offered floral tributes to the portraits of the four at their memorial site.

As part of the observation, a mass rally was also staged carrying the portraits of the four Martyrs in the street of Imphal.

Later , a memorial function was held at Manipur College campus.

Speaking on the sideline of the event, secretary general AMSU Manjit Sarangthem said the artificial famine like situations have been witnessed twice in the State- the first instance in 1939 before independence and the second in 1965 after independence.

He said the hunger marchers' day is observed to commemorate the incident of 1965 during which four persons lost their lives.

He continued, although we could have learnt from the past instances, we are yet to become selt-reliant and self-dependent.

The State still hasn't achieved status of being self-sufficient of food grains, he added.

Whenever, there are blockades on the two national highways which are acting as lifelines of the State, we face food constrains, he said.

He further added that this year too the government authority is going to create another famine by not providing fertilizers to the farmers.

The farmers are buying the fertilizers at Rs.1000 per bags and some authority are stocking the fertilizers that has to be distributed to the farmers at subsidized rate .

On the other hand Manjit also stated that many paddy field are being destroyed and instead of compensating the farmers they are being left to their own.

Manjit was referring to the Loktak Hydro Electric Power Project.